


Visibility

by Aviantei



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Also cooking, And Nigou is cute, Blind Character, F/M, Fluff and Romance, Kuroko/OC, OC/Canon, Post-Canon, Twins, with a tiny dash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-09-26 11:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 77,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20389255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviantei/pseuds/Aviantei
Summary: Transfer students entering at the new school year allows for the boy who can't be seen to come into contact with the girl who can't see. This invokes a change in how the people around them view their surroundings. [KurokoxOC]





	1. Chapter 01: Notice

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on fanfiction.net between October 17, 2013 and December 24, 2014, with an omake chapter published on April 16, 2016. After unexpectedly getting into knb, I found myself wondering "If Kuroko's whole thing is that he's hard to see, what would happen if he interacted with a character who couldn't see at all?" And thus, this fic was born, and also shortly became my most popular story. It still holds that position, even years later.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 01: Notice

* * *

Watanabe Youta leaned against the wall, the cold surface just barely making it through the fabric of his new uniform. It felt strange—he preferred the suit jacket of his old school much better than the gakuran—but he supposed he would get used to it. The teacher had disappeared into the classroom some time ago, saying to wait while she talked to the class. While it had only been a few minutes, it felt like much longer.

Impatiently, Youta drummed his fingers against the wall, wondering if his tempo would make time go any faster.

“Feeling nervous?” his sister, Airi, asked standing beside him. She reached out, her hand covering his and bringing the small noises to a stop. “You didn’t have to come here with me, Nii-san. I’m glad you did, but if it’s working you up this much, maybe it’s better if we go back…”

Youta chuckled at the words. “It’s a bit too late for that, huh?” he said, shaking his head. He tied his fingers in with hers, giving them a squeeze that he meant as reassurance. “Besides, Mom and Dad would never agree to that. And I’m really only here for you anyways, so it doesn’t matter if I’m nervous. Just focus on being happy, alright?”

Airi frowned, but Youta could tell she was happy at his words. Her frowns never lasted long, after all. “Thank you for doing this for me, Nii-san. It does mean a lot that you’re willing to come here with me. If we work together like always, I’m sure everything will be fine.” Sure enough, Airi smiled, and Youta smiled back.

“Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun, would you come in please?” the teacher’s voice called from inside of the room. Airi turned her head towards the voice, and Youta gave her fingers another squeeze.

“You make it sound like such a big deal,” he chided, pulling at her cheek with his free hand. Airi brought a hand up to her face, rubbing at the now red skin. “I’m your brother, of course I’m gonna take care of you, Ai-chan. Now come on, we’ve got a class to introduce ourselves to.” Youta pulled his hand away from Airi’s, then stepped into the classroom. His sister’s footsteps were right behind him, almost perfectly on his heels.

Youta came to a halt in front of the classroom, holding out a hand to stop Airi before she bumped into him. Already he could see the looks on their faces, see the words shaping on their mouths in the form of whispers. Airi didn’t seem to mind and only adjusted to properly face the rest of the class. Already, their desks were open, side by side, in the front row, just waiting for them to sit down.

“Would you care to introduce yourselves?” the sensei prompted. Right, that had to come first. Why did they have to be singled out again? It was only the beginning of the school year. There was no need to make the new kids stand out any more than they already would.

It didn’t bother Airi, but it certainly bothered her brother.

Youta straightened his back and projected his voice across the room, making everyone focus on him instead. “My name is Watanabe Youta,” he said, not hesitating. “I am sixteen years old and I formerly attended a school in Sendai. Before you ask, I’m the older twin. Please treat me kindly.” He executed a curt bow, which Airi chose as her cue to speak.

“My name is Watanabe Airi,” she said, her voice much more relaxed than her brother’s had been. “As you may have guessed, I am legally blind, but I don’t wish for that to affect my schooling. Please don’t feel as if you need to think of me any differently because of this. I hope that we can all get along well.”

Airi executed her bow, and Youta led her to her seat as the classroom exploded in unrestrained whispers.

* * *

There was something unnerving about how easy the transition had been between schools had been, especially with how difficult things had been the last couple of years. They had gained permission beforehand to study together, Airi and Youta’s desks pushed together as a permanent fixture in the classroom.

That much hadn’t changed with the transfer into Seirin, and Youta dutifully took notes during classes with the occasional guidance from his sister. That night, they would go home and he would read out the notes to her, then make a coordinated attempt at homework, guiding her hand to make straight lines while she wrote.

It was the same chaotic mix of lifestyle as it had been before, except it was somehow easier. Maybe he had just gotten used to it.

“Ah, damn.”

Even routines had moments were you faltered, though. While the siblings had worked together to make their lunch last night, Youta had forgotten to pack them in with their school things that morning. Airi tilted her head at her brother, slid her hands over their connected desks, and smiled. “The bento are still at home, aren’t they?” she asked.

Youta scratched the back of his head, wondering if she would still pick up on the gesture or not. It was hard to tell just how much of the world she could still see, how much she remembered from when she kept her eyes open. “Yeah, sorry,” he said. “I’ll run down to the school store and pick something up for us, alright?”

“Couldn’t we just go to the cafeteria—ah, you don’t feel like having all those people around to bother me, huh?” Airi picked up on his discomfort easily. Youta shifted in his seat; he hadn’t wanted her to know that, even if he did hate having people constantly ask the same questions. “I really don’t mind, Nii-san, but if that’s what you want, it’s fine. Would you like me to come with you?”

“It’ll only take a few minutes, don’t worry.”

Airi reached down to her bag. “At least take my wallet to pay for my share,” she said.

Youta shook his head out of habit, and his sister stopped. “No way, I got it. Sheesh, I’m being chivalrous here, just let me have a moment.”

Airi pouted for a moment before giggling. “Alright, Nii-san, you win. But I’ll pay for everything the next time we go out, alright? We do get the same allowance, after all. It’s not as if money is so much as an issue that I can’t afford lunch.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Youta stood up, ruffling Airi’s hair before walking away. “I’m heading out now, Ai-chan. I’ll be back soon.”

“See you soon, Nii-san.”

It was almost disturbing how easily she could still use that word. Youta was glad he wasn’t next to her anymore, if only for the fact that she wouldn’t be able to sense her discomfort. That was as far as the feeling went, though, a tight coil forming in the bottom of his stomach. Even though Airi was able to handle most things on her own, leaving her alone was an idea he could never find a way to properly justify.

Once he was mixed in with the rest of the students, Youta ran down the halls with only the hope that he wouldn’t get caught.

* * *

To say there was a commotion in classroom 2-B would be an understatement.

A number of students had remained behind in the classroom, despite meaning to get lunch in the cafeteria. Even those that had brought lunch from home left their food untouched, wasting away the precious minutes of their lunch period otherwise. A few students from other classes had gathered in the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of what the rumors said was there, only to have their view blocked by the already clustering students around a certain desk.

Watanabe Airi was in the middle, already being bombarded by questions.

“So you used to live in Sendai, Watanabe-san?”

“What was your old school like? Why did you transfer?”

“Your brother seems like he’s really nice. Does he have a girlfriend?”

“Are you two living on your own?”

While it was a common scene to be expected whenever a new student transferred in, it was still unusual. The fact that one student had gained so much attention from most of the class, as well as students from other classes, was strange enough. The obvious elephant in the room was also steadfastly being avoided, even though everyone wanted to ask.

Airi took the situation in stride, only pausing every now and then to confirm the voice of who was speaking. Yes, she had lived in Sendai, and had to admit she was going to miss the snow come wintertime. Her old school had been fine, and transferring had been her parents’ idea. Youta did not have a girlfriend, and the twins were currently living on their own until their parents completed moving the rest of the necessary affairs down to their new city.

The questions came just as steadily as her answers, and it was only when there was a lull in the former, Airi chose to speak without being addressed first.

“Everyone, can I ask you a favor?” she said, bringing the scatter of mutterings and whispers to a close. “I understand that maybe I should have made this a little bit clearer in my introduction, but I don’t think bringing it up now is a problem. I understand you are all trying to be kind by not asking about my eyesight, but don’t think I will be offended by simple questions. It _is_ part of who I am. Don’t feel as if you need to jump hoops around it.”

The silence remained for a few moments, the class trying to process the information. It was more commonly expected to not want a disability pointed out a few moments, the class trying to process the information. It was more commonly expected to not want a, especially since it could be considered to be rude. In opposition, Airi was making it sound as if she would be more offended if they were to be polite about it. While the class should have made an effort to at least refuse the offer, curiosity often wins out over politeness.

“Do you braid your hair or does your brother?” one of the girls asked. While it didn’t automatically register as a question about her eyesight to most, they could still see how it related. Two braids were present, and Airi only smiled at the question.

“I do it myself,” she said, reaching up to the small braid at the side of her head and starting to undo it. Once the hair was free, she separated it back into three parts and started to redo it. “Braiding is something you can accomplish with only a sense of touch, so I find it rather simple to take care of.” She finished the act at the end of her sentence, tying it off with a small hairband.

The question seemed to relinquish any misgivings from the rest of the class, and they all tried to find more tasteful ways to word the questions they had been mulling over for the first half of the lunch period. The first one that succeeded was a boy. “So are the rest of your senses, like, improved or something?”

Airi paused, a slight frown on her features. “Well, they aren’t at the level I would like them to be. I can usually pick out people by the sound of their voice, and if I know a person well enough I can sometimes pick up on their emotions and actions. However, my sense of touch is about average, I’d say, though I guess I have better dexterity than most. If you were looking for something impressive, I guess you could say I’m good at figuring out my surroundings by hearing how many people there are around me.”

“Really? So can you tell how many of us there are here?”

“I’m not really good at exact numbers when there are so many people clustered around me like this,” Airi admitted. A few of the students looked around the room, as if just now realizing the sheer amount of people that had surrounded Airi’s desk. “But I can at least get a general idea of where people are when they talk to me. Although I have been wondering…

“Just who is that over there? Unlike everyone else, they haven’t said a word the entire time and I don’t think I’ve been introduced to them…”

Airi pointed, and everyone’s eyes followed the direction. She never got an answer, though, as the students were too busy panicking over the boy that they hadn’t realized had been standing right next to them.

* * *

Kuroko Tetsuya finished stretching, picked up a basketball, dribbled it a few times, then took the shot. The ball bounced off the backboard, The ball bounced off the back ng, picked up a basketball, dribbled it a few times, then took the shot. The ball bounced off thbut still landed inside the basket. Just as Tetsuya was about to recover the ball, his friend and partner Kagami stepped forward, catching the ball effortlessly. The redhead passed it back, and Tetsuya took the ball in his hands, feeling the texture underneath his fingers.

“What’s on your mind?” Kagami asked, picking up on his friend’s contemplative nature. Tetsuya looked up to him, still surprised at how easily it had become for Kagami to read him. Although they had grown closer over the past year, it was still something completely different from what he had experienced at Teiko.

“The new students in our class,” Tetsuya admitted. Kagami raised a split eyebrow at him. “I was just caught off guard. Watanabe-san picked up on my presence even though she wasn’t able to see me…” Tetsuya was used to going unnoticed. Being noticed without being prompted wasn’t something he knew how to handle.

It almost made him uncomfortable. No, it _did_ make him uncomfortable; there was no other word for it. While he had formed friendships with his new team over the past year, even the members of the Seirin High School Basketball Club didn’t notice him all the time. To be picked up on effortlessly by a complete stranger… the shield of invisibility that he used as a comfort zone had been instantly shattered to the point that he had fled soon after Watanabe-san had asked about him.

“She did? That’s impressive. Pass,” Kagami said, clearly unconcerned. Tetsuya couldn’t find the right words to describe his feelings to his partner and passed the ball to him instead. Kagami didn’t bother to warm up, taking a few steps before setting off into one of his incredible jumps, dunking the ball in the basket.

t bother to warm up, taking a few steps before setting off into one of his incredible jumps, dunking the ball in the basket.

-saThe force rattled the backboard a bit, and Kagami landed back on the floor with a sound that echoed throughout the gymnasium. Tetsuya was proud of his partner for the progress the taller male had made, but still felt some distance between them. It was something that didn’t hinder their partnership, merely the fact that Tetsuya would never be able to understand the experience that Kagami had as he flew through the air.

In the same way, Kagami could never experience what it would be like to be as invisible as Tetsuya was. That meant that the problem was something he couldn’t understand, either.

Tetsuya decided to let it go for now. He was more overreacting than anything. If the problem was that he had been forced out of his comfort zone, then that was a good thing. He even had a problem sometimes with how people never seemed to see him. If someone could “see” him—even if it was without really _seeing_ him—he shouldn’t be complaining.

The thought didn’t completely eliminate his concerns, but it at least forced him to not focus on it so much. The sharp sound of a whistle echoing throughout the gym was also helpful.

“Alright, all new and aspiring members, line up!” Aida Riko called, shepherding the existing club members behind her. While the first years scrambled into a line, the coach gave Kagami a look that snapped the boy to attention. “And don’t go jumping all over the place first thing, Bakagami. Not only do you need to stay in top shape you shouldn’t be showing off your skills in front of the people you’ll be playing in practice matches soon.”

Kagami muttered an apology while Aida called the potential members to attention, followed by a subsequent order for them to take off their shirts.

The same clamor as last year broke out, making Tetsuya feel nostalgic. Once the hubbub died down, Aida began her evaluations, calling out flaws and methods for improvement in the new students by just glancing at them. Behind Tetsuya, Hyuga chuckled.

“She’s really getting into it this year,” the captain commented, smiling. He was scanning over the first years in his own way, seeing what new additions would be made to his team. Tetsuya wondered how the new players would adapt to his style, and Kagami was impatiently bouncing on his heels.

“That doesn’t mean she has to yell at me for just warming up,” the redhead commented. “I wasn’t even _trying_ to jump that high, just enough for a dunk.” He sighed. “To be honest, at this point I’m starting to not even need to put effort to get high enough to do it…”

“That just means you’re going to have to train harder to control it before Riko notices.” The threat of extra practice to control his ability was enough to make Kagami shudder. Hyuga laughed. “Though I don’t know what she’s trying to do, keeping your powers a secret. I don’t think there’s a high school basketball player in the country that doesn’t know what you can do.”

“You should still be careful, Kagami-kun,” Tetsuya said. “If you overwork yourself then you won’t be able to play.” It was meant as a friendly reminder, but Tetsuya was still concerned. The threat of exceeding his limits was just as possible for Kagami as it was for the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

Kagami only took the words as prompting to think. “So that means…” he muttered, starting to get lost in thought, “that I need to get used to jumping less…? No, more like jumping shorter… controlling when…” His words trailed off, starting to become unintelligible. Aida finished up her assessments, drawing all conversation to a stop with a blow of her whistle.

Tetsuya joined the lineup, preparing for preliminary exercises to break the first years in. They were old movements, familiar to him, leaving the boy plenty of time to think as his body went through the motions.

If Kagami’s solution to his problem was that he needed to get used to jumping less, why couldn’t the solution to Tetsuya’s problem be getting used to being seen more?


	2. Chapter 02: Viewpoint

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 02: Viewpoint

* * *

If Watanabe Airi were to describe the world as she saw it to someone that _could_ see, she would have to wonder if they would understand what she meant. After all, the world was just a series of blurs, some of them that could be focused on and made into clearer images, depending on how well Youta described them. Other than that, it was a matter of using sounds and the rest of her senses to “see” the world around her, or at least give her a general idea of what her surroundings would look like to someone that could properly see.

Thankfully, the classroom had died down after one day of the new students’ arrival, giving Airi some peace and quiet while she ate the lunch her and her brother had put together the previous night. Airi could handle a little bit of excitement as well as the next person, but things became a little unnerving if there were so many people around her, clouding her already as well as the next person, but things became a little unnerving if there were so many people aroundinaccurate vision. It was much nicer to be able to eat away at her bento of leftovers and fresh rice, only the odd classmate to come up and introduce themselves because they had been missing from the previous day’s hubbub.

Youta bridged the gap unlike anyone else did, stepping into conversations and describing the people to his sister, giving her a mental “face” to match up with a name, a voice, some gestures. It helped her experience the world better, like how Youta was able to help out with schoolwork so Airi wouldn’t have to attend a school that specialized in teaching kids like her. While she wasn’t ashamed of her disability in anyway, but she didn’t want to be defined or restricted in what she could do with herself because of it.

Halfway through a bite of egg that Airi decided she had to do _something_ about her brother letting her get away with cooking and eating things that didn’t end up tasting any good, Airi tilted her head up. She was sure there was a person there, but every now and then their presence seemed fuzzy, like they were trying to avoid being noticed. At the very least, standing at the front of the classroom as a rather odd way to accomplish that, if it was even the person’s goal in the first place.

“Ah, I don’t think I recognize this person,” Airi said choosing her words carefully. Youta was called to attention in an instant, forever attentive to his sister’s needs. “I know I’ve talked to you, but I might have forgotten your name. I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten it, but I have the feeling we haven’t been introduced to each other properly yet. Correct me if I’m wrong, though.”

“Hey, Ai-chan, who you talk—oh,” Youta sounded confused, but shifted, almost like he hadn’t realized the person in question was there in the first place. A few gestures later that showed he had regained his composure, the older Watanabe sibling set out to give his usual report. “Male, about average height, light blue hair, kept short, eyes the same color and… I’m not certain how to describe them, but they’ve certainly got an interesting shape.”

Whether the newcomer was offended about being described in such a way, he didn’t show it. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya,” he said, voice completely calm. It was soothing, almost like a lullaby and a librarian rolled into one sound. “I was wondering if I could eat lunch with you to make up for leaving so quickly after you tried to talk with me yesterday.”

“Ah, that was you!” Airi said, smiling in recognition. Suddenly the blank spot in her memory was filled, the hole that mad been missing the impression of a person now gone. Sure, she couldn’t remember all of her new classmates in exact detail, but at least now she had names for the presences that had surrounded her. She would just have to learn their faces over time. “There’s no need to apologize, I’m sure I startled you. It’s nice to meet you, Kuroko-san, please feel free to eat with us.”

Youta made a disgruntled gesture to the side, but Airi let it pass. His overprotective nature was showing again, and he would just have to get over it. It was annoying at times that the person that heard the most about how she hated to be given special treatment was the one that most needed to learn that she was simply not a doll that could be broken apart so easily.

“Thank you very much,” Tetsuya said. There was the scuffle of desks as he and Youta worked together, a seat for Tetsuya now sitting on the other end of the Watanabe twins’ side by side desks. A bento and chopsticks clattered as the newly arrived boy began to eat his lunch. “I still feel like I should apologize for leaving so suddenly yesterday. I’m just not used to being noticed by people so easily and…”

Youta’s animosity was seeping off him in waves, causing Tetsuya to fall silent. Airi chose to step in before they scared their new lunch mate away without even giving him the chance to eat first. “Well, I tend to be good at noticing things that other people don’t, mainly because I _can’t_ see,” she said. She couldn’t have been certain, but she was almost sure that Tetsuya had blinked. “Since my view of the world is based on completely different things than others’, what’s normal to me may be obscure to you. I should be apologizing for startling you so much.”

Airi could tell Tetsuya was probably shocked, not expecting her casual tone. Youta was frowning beside her, in clear distaste of how she brought it up, on how she made it obvious. In her quest to not being treated different for it, she wanted people to recognize it. It was a part of her, like the color of her hair, or how she dressed. Youta absolutely hated that.

In fact, her brother was staring down the newcomer with such an intensity that Airi could even feel it, despite the fact that it wasn’t directed towards her. She nudged her brother lightly beneath the desk, frowning when she was certain he had looked her way. Why was it that boys always took things like “look after your sister” as an excuse to be jerks to all the other males around them?

“What do you mean that you’re not used to being noticed by people?” Youta asked. He masked his annoyance well, but Airi could still feel it. Not wanting to make a scene, she kept the observation to herself, scooping more of her rice into her mouth. “You’d think that with hair like that you’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

Whether or not Tetsuya gauged the tension, Airi couldn’t be certain. He still replied in that calm voice of his, and was surprisingly in agreement with Youta’s analysis. “I used to think so, too, as a kid,” he said. “But in the end I just ended up being a person whose presence nobody noticed. If I put myself out there, people will see me, but not usually until then, unless they’re used to me.” The sound of taking a drink interrupted Tetsuya’s words. “You didn’t notice me either, Watanabe-kun, so I think you understand what I mean.”

Airi suppressed a giggle in her vegetables, Youta scoffing as he began to devour his own bento. Airi briefly wondered if _that_ was how he suffered through her sub-par cooking: by not tasting any of it. Knowing that her brother would have plenty of things to say once he had enough time to think about it, she stepped up to the metaphorical verbal plate.

“So, Kuroko-san, are you in any clubs?” she asked. “I was actually wondering what types of club they had here so I could hopefully find one to join. I understand that my selection criteria are going to be different from others, but if you could help at all, it would be greatly appreciated.” Airi hadn’t been able to participate in club activities since elementary school, and she had found out she missed the activity in the past few years.

Tetsuya seemed to hesitate before answering. “Well, I know it may not be what you’re looking for, but I am in the basketball club,” he said. There was a clatter of chopsticks falling against the desk from Airi’s side.

“Hold on,” Youta said, a serious note entering his voice. It wasn’t done out of rudeness, but Airi could hear the change and felt concerned for it. “You’re telling me that you’re in this school’s basketball club.” A moment of silence where Airi guessed a nod had been placed. “And you played last year at that.”

“I was on the starting lineup.”

Youta made a large movement, but it was too sudden for Airi to figure out what it was. “Agh, you gotta be kidding me! A guy like you’s part of the team that won the Winter Cup last year? Why don’t you seem more famous, then? Your lack of presence seems to be something that works against you in this case, Kuroko.”

“You may think so but it’s actually better this way.”

“Um,” Airi said, speaking up for the first time since she had asked her initial question. It was completely accurate to say that at this point she was completely lost, detached from the conversation thread that she had started, to boot! “I understand that this is something interesting, but you know I don’t really follow sports, Nii-san. Care to tell me what the Winter Cup is?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Youta said, more to himself than anything. “I thought I might have mentioned it to you whenever I was checking out the stats in December, but I guess not. The Winter Cup is one of the three most important high school basketball tournaments in Japan. The Seirin basketball club ended up taking place in winter even after their second year of founding, beating out the top schools. It was a real surprise, I’ll tell you that!”

“Thank you for your praise,” Tetsuya said. Airi wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn that he sounded a little bit happier when he said that. It was hard to tell, because there was something else in his voice that threw her off. He didn’t say anything else, either, so she couldn’t confirm her suspicions.

Airi put on a smile, pushing the strange tone of voice out of her mind. “That’s really amazing!” she exclaimed, meaning every word of it. “The fact that you won on a national level must mean that you’re all really talented, right?”

“Well, it’s more like we worked hard for it.”

“Being able to work hard to achieve something without giving up is a talent in itself,” Airi said sagely. The words were more than a bit corny, but she believed them to be true. “With that in mind, I bet that your teammates are all very dedicated and used that to become excellent players. Not many people can say that they’re on a national championship team.”

There was a silence that Airi couldn’t account for. Youta was neutral, which was a nice change, and the blind girl didn’t know her classmate well enough to figure out how he was feeling. Other than his presence, Tetsuya was just _there_. She knew that much for sure.

“I guess it is something to be proud of,” Tetsuya finally said, relieving Airi’s nerves considerably. It wasn’t until he had spoken up that she realized she had been afraid of having said something wrong. “If you want to, you could come and watch us practice until you find a club to join.”

There it was, and the atmosphere changed. Tetsuya fell silent, probably due to Youta glaring daggers at him. There were a few instances where she could hear her classmate trying to speak, but not getting very far. Whatever form of apology he meant to say was lost before it could make it off his lips.

Airi smiled, probably providing the exact opposite of her brother’s expression to Tetsuya. “I’d like that,” she said. “I admit that I don’t know much about sports, but I’m certain I could learn the rules well enough that if Nii-san described what was going on to be, I’d have an idea of what the games look like. Since Nii-san seems to already have a handle on basketball, I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to pick up on.”

Both of the males were quiet. Even Youta, who usually took any opportunity to be useful to Airi, didn’t say a word. Airi could feel her expression slipping, even her genuine excitement being damped by the mood at the cluster of desks.

“I’m sorry,” Tetsuya managed, his voice quieter than it had been. Airi allowed herself to frown, disappointed. She had been hoping for something better than the usual awkward silence that she got from most people once words regarding vision were brought up.

“Please don’t feel the need to apologize.” Youta made a disgruntled noise at Airi’s side, providing a direct contradiction to her words. They were going to have to talk about this later, but the younger twin certainly wasn’t in the mood to start a scene in front of the class. “I understand that I’m blind very well, Kuroko-san, I don’t need you to point it out by treating me any differently. I believe I mentioned that in my class introduction. I know it may seem like a strange thing to do around someone who can’t see, but I take no offense to the use of words and phrases that include ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’. They’re part of the Japanese language for a reason.” She realized the hard tone she had been sing and made herself relax. “But if it makes you feel any better Kuroko-san, I do happen to accept your apology. Just understand that there are ways I don’t mind you accounting for my disability, but feeling like you’re going to hurt my feelings by bringing up something I can’t do won’t help. I’d really appreciate it if we could become friends who don’t have to worry about such things.”

The tension relaxed a little, Tetsuya seeming to feel better. The fact that he had been lectured seemed to make Youta satisfied for now, and Airi could tell he was relaxing as well. Peace had been restored, and everyone seemed to settle back into a grove of normalcy. Putting her trust into reading others, Airi took a shot in the dark.

“You really should smile more, Kuroko-san.”

The lack of denial let Airi know she had been right. Youta seemed smugly satisfied as usually happened whenever Airi was able to pick up on something, surprising others.

“Now, as we were discussing, do you have practice today?” Airi asked.

“Yes, we do,” Tetsuya confirmed. “If you have something else to do, you don’t have to come right away. This is short notice, but I don’t think the coach will mind if I introduce you to her. Although she may try and recruit you because of your height, Watanabe-kun.”

Youta blinked in surprise, not expecting himself to be dragged into the conversation. “I’m flattered by your coach’s theoretical offer, but no can do. I need to help out Airi, so I gotta join whatever club she’s in, if she picks one.”

Airi frowned. “If you want to join a club without me I’ll do just fine, Nii-san,” she said. “But speaking of clubs, what other types of clubs are available here? I’d definitely like to see what all there is to offer before I go making any rash decisions.”

“That depends on what you like,” Tetsuya said. “Since the school was only founded two years ago, there’s all the expected choices, but you can always form a new club if necessary…”

“No, no, I don’t think that’s something I’m ready to handle. I believe I’ll just stick to researching and watching the famous Basketball Club until I find something suitable…”

* * *

Walking into the gymnasium, Youta kept his mouth shut, letting Airi get her bearings first. While the boy had gotten quite good at being able to give descriptors for just about anything at a glance—a person’s height, the dimensions of a room, the number of people in a crowded area—Airi was equally good at figuring out those things without any other prompting than what she could hear and otherwise. Together, Youta felt as if they put together a good enough picture of the world for her, like she could still see. He couldn’t know that for sure, since he couldn’t read his sister’s mind, but Airi seemed satisfied enough with the visions they put together as a team. That was good enough for now.

He wondered how she did it. There were times when he would enter a room, try to figure it out by instinct, but he always missed something. Airi could tell where things were and find people without the other party saying anything. The best Youta could do was conjure up a memory of what the place had looked like the last time he had seen it, and sometimes he got nothing at all.

In a way, Airi was a genius.

The thought was cut off as Youta started recognizing faces of the people who were currently on the court. Hyuga Junpei, Kagami Taiga, Izuki Shun, Mitobe, Koganei, Tsuchida—the entire championship lineup including the other three second years whose names Youta never bothered to learn because they never seemed to step foot on the court. They were all warming up in front of him, like some sort of dream. It took Youta a moment to remember that he was supposed to be letting Airi know what was happening, and turned to his younger sister.

“Oh, are you two the Watanabe twins that Kuroko was talking about?” a voice asked. Youta recognized the person immediately, but couldn’t get the words out. “It’s nice to meet you two. I’m Aida Riko, the team’s coach.” Aida smiled, and Airi seemed to recover first.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Watanabe Airi,” she said. Airi dipped into a bow. Youta took the hint and bowed himself.

“Watanabe Youta. It’s nice to meet you,” he said, completing the formalities. “Thanks for letting us sit in on your practice. It’s a great honor to be able to see the winners of the Winter Cup in their home turf.”

Aida was beaming, her expression showing off the pride in her team’s accomplishment. “Well, it’s not like we can just slack off or anything just because we won a tournament!” she said. “We’ve gotta work extra hard so that we can do even better this year! Not to mention we need to whip these new first years into shape! Though you picked a good day to come in, we’re going to be running a practice match so that’ll be more exciting than drills.”

“I’m sure anything will be interesting if you put enough enthusiasm into it,” Airi said. “I really am impressed, though. Not only do you take a title so quickly, you have a coach that’s become so accomplished at such a young age…” Airi seemed to pause, but Youta couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He was no good at reading people, either, even if the target was his own sister. “Oh, would it be alright if I had Nii-san describe you to me?”

“Sure.”

Even though the question was sudden, Aida didn’t seem to be caught off guard in the slightest. Whether this was because she was perceptive enough to pick up on the situation or Kuroko had already told his team about Airi’s circumstances, Youta decided that it didn’t matter. He instead looked over the coach—in real life in front of him and not just some magazine article—taking notice of what Airi needed to distinguish Aida in her mind from everyone else.

“Ah, she’s a bit shorter than you, has reddish hair,” he started. “She’s got some hairclips to pull her bangs to the left, kind of like yours, and her eyes are a bit brown. Oh, and she picked out the blue sweater for her uniform.” The only thing left for him to comment on as a descriptor would be her bust size, but Youta decided it was best to keep that information to himself. Most girls didn’t take well to a guy spouting off their measurements like it was the weather report, especially when they were in the smaller range. “Is that enough for you, Ai-chan?”

Airi nodded slowly, processing the information. Youta wondered what the image in her head was like, if it was anything like the person in front of them.

“That’s enough,” Airi confirmed. She seemed a bit worried for a moment, then smiled. “Although I wasn’t expecting the coach to still be in high school. You’re even more accomplished then I imagined, Aida-san.”

“Oh, well, I was kind of raised for this, so it’s no big deal,” Aida commented. She may not have meant to, but Youta realized her sentence could also be interpreted as _I coached a team into the national level championships like it was nothing._ The less egotistical _I’ve been training for something like this for a long time_ was more likely. The young coach was even blushing at the praise. “Ah, damn, look at the time! I gotta get these guys started on warm ups. You guys relax on the sidelines, alright?” And with that she was running off, blowing her whistle and shouting orders.

Airi laughed happily. “She’s certainly lively.”

“Yeah,” Youta said. “Come on, let’s get seated.” A few seats were pulled out, as if waiting for them. If he was wrong, Youta figured moving around wouldn’t be a big issue. He escorted Airi into a chair and sat beside her, describing the club members in terms of descriptions and stats he remembered from magazines again. Every now and then he would have to pause to explain how certain positions and plays worked, filling in Airi’s lack of knowledge of the game.

The only thing that gave him trouble was accounting for the faces he didn’t recognize. The number of first years coming into the team had to have doubled since last year, probably drawn in by the chance of playing on the championship team.

Airi wanted to know everything, which was a daunting task. It was hard enough trying to catch her up with the rules of basketball when she was constantly asking for descriptions of people or their warm-up exercises, or the explanation for sudden noises coming from either the club members or something outside. It had been a while since Youta had needed to try so hard to keep up with his sister’s requests, almost like having to keep a little kid’s attention at a carnival.

With another blow of Aida’s whistle, which Youta found himself still going to attention at the sound, the practice game was announced. In order to properly give all of the first years a chance to try and play, it was decided that halfway through the game the teams would switch out entirely, aside from a few second year players, one of which included Kagami Taiga.

For a few minutes Youta forgot to think as he watched the redhead step out onto the field, almost jumping out of the urge to play. It was only Aida’s whistle that pulled Youta back to reality, reminding him to at least try and keep up with the pace of the game for Airi’s sake. She at least seemed to appreciate his efforts, even if he obviously wasn’t getting everything he should be saying.

Almost as if to make it easier on him, she asked, “What’s Kuroko-san doing?”

“Um, well…” Youta looked around the sidelines, not seeing their mutual classmate anywhere. He could have sworn that Kuroko had gone to practice, seen him somewhere, heard Aida call his name. “I don’t know. He’s not on the court, and I don’t see him on the sidelines. Maybe something came up and he had to go home?”

Airi frowned—not too much, just a little that told that she was mildly disappointed. Youta didn’t know to describe it, but after that it was like she zoned out, didn’t pay attention to anything, except he knew that wasn’t the case. Whatever Airi did when she got like this, it was what let her understand the world in whichever way she did. Whenever she was done, she looked a little bit more confused.

“No, he’s here, I’m sure… Can you try looking around again?”

Youta suppressed a sigh, taking another look around the gym. He even checked for a third time, just to say he had put in the effort. No matter how many times he checked, Kuroko just wasn’t there.

Youta spent the rest of the practice wondering why one team only had four members to it when the other was fully stocked and had Kagami on its side. It was almost unfair. Despite the disadvantage, the final scores were almost a tie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Yoursdiaboliktruly for the bookmark!


	3. Chapter 03: Ambition

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 03: Ambition

* * *

“Is it really that strange that I can pick out your presence so easily?” Airi asked, politely holding back her laughter. Standing beside her and waiting for the morning assembly, Tetsuya shifted a bit uncomfortably which was apparently enough for her to catch onto. “I’d stop if I could, Kuroko-san, but I don’t think that’s something that I can do so easily. Trying to keep track of the world around me is almost habit now…” The fact that she kept her eyes closed all the time made it harder to tell what she was feeling, although Tetsuya knew she couldn’t help it. She seemed very expressive otherwise, which filled the gap enough to be able to tell she felt worried about the situation.

“I’m not asking you to stop, Watanabe-san,” he said. “It’s more impressive than anything else, really. Even people who can… see have a hard time picking me out.” The word felt wrong, but Airi seemed pleased enough by his use of it. “You mentioned that you don’t have much knowledge of basketball so the fact that you can find me on a busy court among other players is really what’s impressive…”

Tetsuya had been just as shocked as everybody else whenever Airi had begun to point out his actions on the field before Youta could take notice of them. In the few practices that had followed afterwards, she had continued to find Tetsuya’s presence, somehow being able to pick him out regardless of the situation. After being directed by his sister, Youta seemed to be on the route to accomplishing the same thing, although his accuracy was much lower. At the very least, Tetsuya could still slip away from the older sibling’s presence if need be, given the advantage that he could read Youta’s eyes to do so.

“Impressive, huh?” Airi frowned slightly, an expression more associated with thinking more than anger on the girl. “I guess so, but it’s really just paying attention to your surroundings. Once Youta began to tell me the plays people were making, I began to associate their rhythms on the court with their names. After I learned how everyone else worked, I realized that the tenth presence on the court had to be you. Although I felt a little silly for taking so long…”

Tetsuya blinked at this information. “Why’s that?”

“Because in the end it was obviously you! I mean, Kuroko-san is very distinctive in a Kuroko-san way… like whenever you feel it, you know that it’s Kuroko-san!” Airi smiled, a sheepish note mixed in with her expression. “Ah, I’m sorry; this really isn’t making much sense at all, is it?” She let out a small peal of nervous laughter.

“No, it’s fine, Watanabe-san. I think I understand what you mean.” Although he couldn’t understand exactly what she meant, he still got the general idea. At the very least he could understand the difficulty in trying to communicate about things no one else could notice. In the end, to her form of vision, there was something about him that stuck out.

Tetsuya felt a smile begin to form on the corners of his mouth.

“Speaking of you, though, Kuroko-san, you seem excited for something,” Airi commented. “Did something good happen?”

Tetsuya hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should tell the truth or just wait until Airi would find the answer herself. In the end the answer was given for him, a strong shout dragging the entire student body’s attention to the top of one of the buildings overlooking the assembly.

“I’m Yokoyama Masaso from class 1-C! My goal is to support the members of the Seirin Basketball Club to victory until the day I can fight on the court myself!”

The assembly around them went from a stunned silence to chatter in seconds, the new students wondering what was going on, everyone’s eyes glued on the rooftop. The other trial members that Tetsuya had come to know over the past week presented themselves in a similar manner. Even though she couldn’t see what was going on, Airi’s head was tipped up to the rooftop, a smile on her face.

“What is this?” she asked, voice quieter than usual. It was a miracle that the students could hear anyone else considering the noise they were all making together.

“It’s the club initiation,” Tetsuya answered. “The coach makes everyone do it to prove they have enough resolve to be on the team.” Airi nodded in understanding, refocusing on the roof. It was surprising to think that a year had already passed since he had stood up there, looking down on the entire school.

After the potential members finished their speeches, Aida took a step forward. Since his own initiation hadn’t gone this far, Tetsuya was interested to see what would happen next. Aida spoke, her voice filling up the most space on the courtyard.

“We are the Seirin High School Basketball Club! Those who have introduced themselves today are the new members! We intend to work our hardest to maintain our position as champions and be a team worthy of everyone’s support! Thank you all very much!”

Aida disappeared from the edge of the rooftop, probably trying to avoid being caught by any teachers. The assembly took no notice, erupting in cheers. It was debatable that the only two left not shouting at the top of their lungs were Tetsuya and the girl beside him that had turned to face him.

“So, did you do this?” Airi asked. Tetsuya nodded, prepared to explain what had happened, but was cut off by the call for the assembly to properly begin.

Despite that, he got the feeling that Airi had at least picked up on his non-verbal answer.

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Tetsuya just how excited Airi seemed to get over the little things. He hadn’t been able to keep track of how she felt after the ceremony had started, something the attentive teen was unused to. After all the effort he had put into understanding people by what their eyes did in middle school, he was suddenly up against a person he couldn’t read because she _didn’t_ use her eyes. So if she had been disappointed by not being able to talk some more, Tetsuya wasn’t the one to judge.

But she definitely was interested. Airi flagged Tetsuya over to the desk cluster that belonged to her and her brother. Youta was much simpler to read than his younger twin, and Tetsuya could tell the other boy was just barely containing his animosity. It brought into question if it was because Tetsuya was male or Youta just didn’t like sharing his sister’s affection.

“So what was your goal?” Airi asked before Tetsuya could even properly sit down in the chair he had pulled over. Youta paused in unwrapping the pair of bento boxes, looking to his sister and raising an eyebrow. Airi giggled. “Oh, I’m sorry, Nii-san. Kuroko-san and I were talking about the basketball club’s initiation this morning and I got curious about what his goals were.”

Airi’s words gave Tetsuya the opportunity to sit himself and his lunch down, and Youta the time to resume distributing the bento. “Really?” Youta asked. It was almost disconcerting how interested he could sound whenever Tetsuya would have guess that he didn’t care. Airi nodded picked up her chopsticks, clicking them together a few times. “I guess I’m curious, too. How’d a soft spoken guy like you manage to shout anything, let alone loud enough to make it so the whole assembly could hear you?”

“To be honest, I didn’t,” Tetsuya said. Youta smirked.

Airi rapidly attempted to swallow her food before speaking. She almost looked like she would choke. “Eh, why not?” she managed to ask in the end, leaning a bit forward across the table. Youta discreetly slid his sister’s bento out of the way of her uniform.

“Well, I was going to. The coach was going to let me use a megaphone.” Airi nodded in understanding, sitting back and crossing her arms as if in deep thought. “However, we were stopped by the teachers before I got to take my turn.” Airi’s lips parted but she didn’t say anything. Tetsuya decided to continue. “Since we were supposed to do this to enter the club, I sort of…”

Now that he thought about it, his actions were a bit embarrassing. Tetsuya scratched at his cheek. “You sort of what?” Youta asked. Even though Airi couldn’t look at him, Tetsuya got the impression that she was focusing in on him in her own special way.

“I snuck onto campus early in the morning and wrote out ‘We will be the best in Japan,’ on the schoolyard with the line drawer,” Tetsuya said. Airi gasped, covering her mouth with the hand wielding her chopsticks to muffle the sound. Even Youta looked visibly impressed, which Tetsuya felt a small amount of pride in the fact.

Airi regained her composure, the position of her shoulders adjusting with the act. “And you didn’t get in trouble at all?” she asked. Tetsuya shook his head before he could stop himself. “Wow. I understand that you’re lacking in presence, Kuroko-san, but to not have anyone see you do something like that…”

“Not bad,” Youta concluded. “I guess something like that was good enough to pass. At least you didn’t give up on joining because you couldn’t pull it off.”

“I had no intentions to give up,” Tetsuya asserted. The tone in his voice surprised even him; actively expressing self-confidence was an act more suited to others. “Joining the basketball team and working with my teammates to obtain something was very important to me. I feel very lucky that we were able to reach the goal we all wanted.”

Airi was beaming, like she felt accomplished by just hearing the words. Since she didn’t say anything, Tetsuya was at a loss for what she was thinking. Youta was busying himself by using devouring his own lunch as an excuse not to say anything.

“Is there a chance I could see your handwriting, Kuroko-san?” Airi asked. “I know it won’t be a perfect matchup, but it would help me visualize what the scene looked like. If you don’t mind.”

Tetsuya was at a loss for words. Youta let out a heavy sigh, and Tetsuya just could tell the lack of enthusiasm for explaining it. “Get a notebook or a notepad or something,” Youta instructed. “If you press down hard enough, she’ll be able to feel the indents in the second page.”

The idea hadn’t even occurred to Tetsuya. Airi had already set her own lunch aside in favor of going through her desk. When she was done, there was a notebook being offered alongside a pencil, just waiting to be used. Tetsuya took the items from his classmate’s hands and did as instructed.

He wasn’t really sure how well this sort of thing would work. As a precaution, Tetsuya found himself retracing his letters several times, pressing the borrowed pencil increasingly harder against the surface. Still uncertain, he held the notebook back out, and Airi retrieved it with zero complications.

Her fingers lightly skimmed over the paper the first time, then went slower a second time. Youta didn’t say anything and Tetsuya followed suit. Something like this probably required concentration and Tetsuya wasn’t going to be one to break it. In about a minute, Airi went through the motions to return the book to storage, seemingly satisfied.

“I think his handwriting’s almost neater than yours, Nii-san,” she commented.

Youta scowled. “Whatever.”

Tetsuya took the opportunity to finally open his own bento. “So what about you two?” he decided to ask before beginning to eat. “What sort of goals do the two of you have for yourselves?” Youta just glared. Tetsuya replicated the older twin’s tactic of eating to avoid having to give a response. Airi, however, paused in the continuation her lunch to put her chopsticks down.

“My goal, huh…?” she said. “Well, above anything else, I think I’d like to live as close to a normal life as possible with my condition.” Airi smiled a little, although the tilt of her eyebrows made it seem almost sad. “I don’t like how people treat me different simply because I’m considered to be ‘disabled.’ I believe that if I work hard enough to be self-sufficient, others will be less likely to structure their actions around my condition, and more likely to respond to the kind of person I am.”

She let out a small laugh, a mix of humor and something else that Tetsuya failed to identify before the sound disappeared. “That and I feel bad making Nii-san do so much work for me all the time. After all, he should be free to do what he wants without feeling like he’s obligated to always stay by my side.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Youta snapped. His volume was dangerously close to rising, and Tetsuya winced. Airi looked like she noticed it, too, but didn’t say anything. Youta caught himself, lowering his volume and smoothing out his tone for his next words. “I mean… I don’t mind doing any of that stuff for you, Ai-chan. If anything, I’d say that would be my goal.”

Airi only sighed. Tetsuya took the proactive role. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is this.” Youta corrected his posture and placed a hand palm down on the desk in front of him. “If there’s one thing I’m good at for certain, it’s working my butt off to make Ai-chan’s life easier. In fact, the only reason I bothered to attend high school is for her sake. If I can’t stay by her side, then she’d have to go to some special school or not go at all.

“The first one is obviously out of the question since Ai-chan would never be able to stand that. It counteracts her goal. The second one would just be a waste. Ai-chan is super smart and way better at school than I am. So her missing out on the opportunity to further her education would be stupid. So if this is what I gotta do to make sure she gets to reach her goal, then it’s fine with me.”

Tetsuya could only nod through his mouthful of rice. Both of the Watanabe twins had provided much deeper answers than he had expected. In comparison, his own goals seemed to be something minor, something that could be overshadowed. After all, they were both thinking about the future, and Tetsuya had been so focused on recovering from his middle school life in order to move on.

_Even so, I don’t think that makes it any less important._

Besides, there was something else that was bothering Tetsuya. Even though at first glance their goals seemed to work together, something seemed off. Even if he couldn’t read Airi with absolute certainty, Tetsuya was confident that she wasn’t overly content with Youta’s words. As much as he wanted to ask, though, Tetsuya also had the distinct feeling that now wouldn’t be the time to do so.

“See what I mean? Nii-san’s a bit of a hopeless to convince otherwise,” Airi said. She managed to laugh and smile. “You really do work hard for me, Nii-san, so I’d like to do something big for you every now and then.” She took another bit of her lunch, grimaced, and swallowed. “Maybe I should start with properly learning how to make egg rolls; this is getting ridiculous.”

“What are you talking about, it tastes fine,” Youta retorted. To add emphasis, he took a rather large portion of the egg roll, consuming it without difficulty. “See? Delicious.” Airi only winced again, letting out a heavy sigh as she reached for her juice box. Tetsuya was left to wonder if the food wasn’t really that bad or Youta had just lost all sense in his taste buds.

* * *

Airi made her steps down the street, making sure to maintain a straight line as best as she could. Youta had been able to compile a route from their new home to the school that avoided any major traffic spots so as the make traveling safer. If he had had his way, they would be taking busses everywhere, but that wasn’t something Airi had ever found interesting. It was much easier for her to enjoy traveling if she had better access to perceive the world around her.

Even so, she was cautious. While she knew when to take steps and turns, where to avoid potholes, Airi had yet to become entirely used to the route they had come to take home. It was harder using sounds in open spaces than inside buildings to keep track of her location, and there was always a chance she would miscount her steps. That wasn’t a reason to give up, though. After all, it may not have been a route she would have been able to make on her own, but with Youta, it was possible.

It wasn’t the first time she had thought about obtaining a cane to make traveling easier, even if she didn’t like to admit it. It would be a benefit, but it would also be a way for people to take prejudice, unintentional as it could be. Not to mention, Youta was someone she could rely on, far more useful for looking at the world than any cane could ever hope to be.

“Ai-chan…” Youta said. He was keeping close to her side, within a radius less than arm’s reach. Being this close let him move things out of the way, stop Airi if she was about to step somewhere dangerous, and let Airi keep tabs on his presence for cues of which direction they were going in. It also made it easier to hear the tone in Youta’s voice, apprehensive for whatever else he was about to say.

“What is it, Nii-san?” Airi responded. She stopped, an outstretched arm brushing against the rough surface of an old telephone pole. They were at one of the few intersections their route took, one of the landmarks in Airi’s mental world. Youta took on the duty of looking for cars while Airi listened for their motors. Once the path was deemed safe, Youta stepped forward, Airi taking the cue from his footsteps.

“About what we talked about today…” Youta never danced around his words like this. Airi knew what was coming before he even said it. “You know, you don’t have to stay like this. There’s still plenty of time before it’s too late. You could still have the surgery.”

_The surgery._ It was almost its own existence by now, with how often it was brought up. Youta treated it like it was some fix-all, some god. Airi always had a little twist of uneasiness in her stomach at the mention of it. The idea of getting her vision back, to see the same way she had as a child was something she had equal amounts of nervousness and longing for; a fairy tale ending that couldn’t possibly exist.

“Come on, Nii-san, don’t waste your energy worrying about things like that,” she said, a light tone in her voice. This was what she needed to do whenever the topic got brought up, to prevent herself from breaking. “I’m fine. Even if we had the money for things like that, they’d need to go into the move, right?”

“What’s it matter?” Youta’s voice was a bit farther away than Airi had expected, and she followed him into the turn. The next time he spoke, the words were coming from the proper location. “I’d think that Mom and Dad would be okay with doing something that would benefit you. Besides, you wouldn’t have to worry about things like having people treat you differently if you could see.”

That much was true, but it didn’t change the situation. Airi slipped into the serious tone she tried to avoid using towards her brother, just because it was necessary. “I’d rather money like that go into better things than tending to me. I’ve adjusted well enough these past few years, so by the time I’m completely blind I’ll manage just fine.” Youta remained silent, not presenting further argument. “Besides, surgery like that is _expensive_. Even if we came into some money suddenly, there’s no guarantee there will be enough to pay for it, even with insurance.”

“That still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try,” Youta grumbled. He adjusted, his school bag being held up over his shoulder. Airi knew he was dissatisfied, but couldn’t go easy on him. She was content with the situation, so why waste the extra effort? Putting together the extra money would be too much for something so selfish. “Listen, Ai-chan, I’ve—”

“Been buying lottery tickets every day? I know,” Airi responded. Youta was shocked enough that she just had to giggle. “You think I don’t keep track of where your allowance goes? I know you try to pay for everything, but you always have a little bit less then you should have.” Airi smiled, genuinely letting the expression come into existence. “If that’s something you want to do for me, I’m grateful. But that’s all you ever need to do for me, okay?”

Airi would have bet anything that Youta was scowling. Even so, he controlled the tone of his voice well. “Yeah, yeah. I still have enough money to get something good for dinner, so why don’t we stop by the store on the way home? Better than pulling together what little we have at the house and trying to make something out of it.”

Airi nodded. “That sounds good. As long as we stop by the house and change first. There’s no need to wear our uniforms out so soon…” She sighed, not wanting to have to say the next choice of words. Even so, it was the one thing Airi didn’t think she would ever get used to. “Would you help me pick out my clothes…? I haven’t memorized everything new that I received at Christmas time so I need someone to make sure I don’t dress like the way I see.”

“Of course, Ai-chan,” Youta answered. The request was enough to satisfy him, lifting up his mood from the previous conversation. Airi was glad. The only things she liked less than talking about the surgery was how serious Youta was about it and how sullen he could get whenever the conversation ended without ending in his favor. “So what do you think we should have for dinner tonight? Maybe some seafood? We haven’t had any in a while, so it would be a nice change of pace.”

“Sounds good, Nii-san.” Airi hoped her brother was genuinely smiling as turned down the path that led to their front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the guest for the kudos!


	4. Chapter 04: Initiative

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: This chapter contains scenes of verbal bullying. Please read with caution.

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 04: Initiative

* * *

At this moment, Airi was determined to prove that she could deal with anything the world threw at her. Youta would have normally been at her side at times like these, except that he had apparently had some sort of important business to take care of during their lunch break. He had always been such a worrywart, but Airi had done her best to assure Youta that she could manage herself. Besides, she felt like she had enough of a mental layout of the school to at least make it to the bathroom safely.

It took her a few minutes longer than usual, but Airi did eventually make it. It was times like these that she wished that Seirin had installed room panels with braille on them like she had heard certain schools in America did. Fortunately, she had the listening skills to identify the gender of the voices going in and out of the room to properly determine which one to enter.

Making such a mistake as going into the wrong restroom was really a scenario Airi wished to avoid, even if she wouldn’t see anything to cause much trouble if she did.

She already knew the layout of the bathroom from previous trips inside—a few of her classmates had been kind enough to assist her where Youta obviously couldn’t, even though he would be willing to _try_—so that was easy enough. Airi finished washing her hands and stepped back into the hallway, hoping to make it make back to the classroom quickly so that she and Tetsuya could share their lunch period together.

_Kuroko-san really is sweet,_ Airi thought to herself, giggling slightly. The boy had even offered to direct Airi to the bathroom, but she had refused. There was no need to bother someone like Tetsuya who was her friend over something like this. She didn’t even like bothering Youta with things like this, but he got away with it due to sheer perseverance. _Maybe I should do something to thank him for being so nice to me. Or is that going too far? What if he thinks I’m trying to confess to him? I-I don’t think I could handle that!_

Airi felt her face heat up. Although making assumptions like that didn’t seem to be in Tetsuya’s character, there was always the chance of it happening. And while Tetsuya was nice, Airi was sure she didn’t have any feelings like that at all. They had only known each other for about a month now, and that wasn’t nearly enough time to develop feelings for someone, or at least not enough time to act on those feelings if they did exist.

Concentrating back on her route, Airi went to make the turn in the hallway back to her classroom. Instead, a hand took her wrist, pulling her in the opposite direction. The owner of the hand didn’t say a word, but Airi was certain that it was female. The sound of other students talking covered up any other clues she could have gathered, and Airi was left to follow her guide blindly, in the most literal sense of the word.

She almost tripped up once she was pulled up the stairs, but her guide took no notice, and Airi just barely managed to not fall over once she was made to stop. She tried to find a familiar sound—a breath, a foot step, a movement, _something_—but had no luck at all. Nervously, Airi bit her lip, gripping onto the railing by the stairs just so she would be certain of what one thing in her surroundings was.

“So this is her, huh?” a voice said, male. Judging by its location, it didn’t come from the same person who was maintaining their hold on Airi’s wrist.

“Of course it’s her,” the other voice commented, female and definitely close enough to be her captor. “Look at her, she’s got her eyes closed, plus she totally didn’t even see me coming.”

“Maybe she’s just scared.”

“If she was scared she’d try to make a run for it. Geeze, just how stupid are you?”

Airi flinched back, not recognizing either of the voices. She was certain that she had a good grasp of all of her classmates by now, and a less than perfect handle on recognizing the basketball team. Not knowing who these people were made her want to call out for Youta, except for the fact that he wasn’t there.

The girl laughed, her grip on Airi’s wrist slightly tightening. Airi wanted to pull away, but was too frozen to do so. “Hey, maybe she is scared after all,” the girl said, the sneer in her voice so obvious that it made Airi feel sick. “What’s the matter, little blind girl; not so tough without that brother of yours around, now are you?”

Airi winced. “Don’t call me that,” she snapped before thinking, biting her lip afterwards. Getting angry would only make the situation worse, so she took a deep breath to calm herself. “What business do you have with me? Don’t you know it’s terribly rude to interrupt someone’s lunch break without asking permission first?”

The mix of bite and sweetness made its mark, and the boy stepped forward, his indoor shoe making a muted echo within the stairwell. “What’d you say?” he said, voice louder than a speaking tone. Airi flinched back without meaning to, losing what little advantage she had. “We don’t have to explain ourselves to people like _you_.”

“Easy, easy,” the girl interrupted. “Look at you, having a little backbone. But why don’t you drop the tough act and save us all some trouble? Miura’s right, you’re just a piece of trash, leaching off of our school just ‘cause it lets people like you get in. Why don’t you go back to wherever you came from and leave us be?”

Airi swallowed, not knowing what else to say. It was people like this that she had to prove herself against, but she knew all she would do was end up yelling. She didn’t like getting angry, so she bit her tongue. Besides, if she went and made a scene over this, then Youta would surely hear about it, and that would just cause more trouble. If only there was a way to—

“If you ask me, she has more right to be here than you do,” a new voice interrupted, also male. This time the voice was soothingly familiar, although Airi partially berated herself for not hearing the footsteps approach. Both of her assailants stepped back in shock of the newcomer, the grip on Airi’s wrist finally disappearing. “How spineless can you get, bullying someone that can’t even see?” The voice softened a bit, “Oi, Watanabe, you okay?”

“Kagami-san,” Airi whispered, reaching a tentative hand out. She was able to find the taller boy’s uniform sleeve, clutching onto it for dear life. She hadn’t had to do this since late elementary school, whenever she would cling onto Youta’s arm just to survive through the day. Back in those days, she cried a lot, too, but Airi refused to do so now, not in front of people who obviously wanted nothing more than for her to break down. “Sorry to bother you, Kagami-san, but could you please take me back to the classroom?”

“Sure,” Kagami said, a nonchalant element to his voice that seemed highly unfitting to the scenario. “Either of you got a problem with that?”

Judging by the change in projection of his voice, Kagami had turned to the bullies. They both had a large shift in their movement, eventually turning away from the two classmates to converse amongst themselves in whispers. Airi assumed they meant to keep their conversation a secret, but her trained ears picked up on it anyways.

“What are we gonna do, Sakamoto-san?”

“Don’t be stupid, it’s not like you can take Kagami Taiga down. Let’s just get out of here while we still can,” the girl hissed. They stood up, at least the girl turning around to address Kagami and Airi again. “We’re sorry for any trouble we caused. Please have a good day!” she said, a desperate and forced politeness in her voice. And then they were moving, pounding footsteps running up the stairs and away from the remaining classmates.

Airi let out a deep sigh of relief, the tension draining from her shoulders. Only her grip on the railing and Kagami’s sleeve kept her standing. Deciding that the latter was rude, Airi let go of her classmate only to have him grab back onto her arm. It was lighter than the girl’s grip had been, more caring, but Airi still had to fight the urge to recoil.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Kagami asked. “You shouldn’t go around like this when you can’t see anything. What good is that brother of yours if he won’t keep an eye on you when you leave the classroom?”

“Don’t you dare speak about Nii-san that way,” Airi snapped for the second time. She may not have liked losing her temper, she wasn’t about to deal with someone badmouthing Youta, even if they were a friend and teammate of Tetsuya’s. “And if you were intending to tell me that I’m useless because of my condition, I don’t appreciate it, Kagami-san. I have a hard enough time dealing with people like that without _you_ reminding me of my limits, too.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Kagami said, and he sounded genuinely apologetic when he spoke. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just trying to say that you should be careful since there _are_ people like that out there, and that your brother should be there when you need him.”

Airi paused and collected her thoughts before continuing. “I’m sorry, Kagami-san, but you need to understand he had others things to attend to. I insisted that he take care of them, and even told Kuroko-san to let me go out on my own,” she explained, hoping that was enough to diffuse any potential argument. “When it comes down to it, I really have no one to blame but myself.”

She already knew the words were wrong the moment she said them, Kagami’s grip tightening for only a second before it relaxed again. “Hey, don’t go thinking like that. The only ones that are to blame are those guys and whoever gave them the idea that it was okay to be prejudiced dumbasses.” Kagami scoffed, his pulse quickening against Airi’s wrist.

“Miura and Sakamoto.” Kagami made a confused noise, and Airi stifled a small sigh in favor of smiling. “Their names. If you intend to do something about their behavior, Kagami-san, I’d prefer if it went through the staff as opposed to you possibly getting in trouble for taking care of it. In fact, if you don’t mind, I’d like to selfishly make this request.”

“Agh, no need to be so formal.” Kagami sounded genuinely disgruntled by the idea, and Airi let a small giggle escape. “Come on, Watanabe, let’s get you back to the classroom before Kuroko starts to worry about you. Hm, how do you even report something like this to the teachers anyway…?” The last part was more muttered to himself, but Airi felt herself pick up on something else Kagami had said.

“Kuroko-san…worries about me?” she asked, voice almost a whisper. Kagami snapped out of his contemplation, his focus zoning in on Airi so much that she noticed it without even having to focus. “N-no, never mind, Kagami-san! Let’s just head back, if that’s okay? I haven’t been able to touch my lunch yet and I’d like to be able to eat sometime soon…”

“Yeah, I bought this lunch so I might as well eat it.” There was a rustle of a bag from the other side of Kagami, which Airi immediately reprimanded herself for not noticing. If this whole incident had rattled her to the point of not even knowing the simple things she prided herself on, Airi still had a long way to go. “Alright, let’s get going.”

Whether or not Kagami noticed Airi’s contemplative mood didn’t matter, but she was grateful for the silence as they walked back to the classroom. For such a big guy, Kagami was surprisingly delicate in his leading, although he was nowhere near as accurate as Youta was. That was an unfair comparison, though, and Airi let it slide as they made it back to the familiar hallway surrounding class 2-B.

“Okay, this is it,” Kagami announced, coming to a stop. Airi had already adjusted back to the environment, paying extra attention should anyone else decide to try and drag her off. “Do you need me to take you back to your desk, or…?”

Airi shook her head, dislodging her wrist from Kagami’s hold and resting her hand against the doorway. She immediately felt safer than she had before. “No, I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “But Kagami-san…”

“What?”

“Could you please not tell Kuroko-san about this?” Kagami went to interject, but Airi expertly cut off his words. “The same goes for Nii-san… It’s not fair to make them worry about something that already happened, so please don’t bring it up. I’m sure that if you take it to the teachers, they can keep things private, too, so please… This is my other selfish request.”

Airi made sure she was smiling before she made it to the desk that she and Tetsuya shared for lunch, hoping that Kagami would understand and keep word of the incident to himself.

* * *

Youta stood inside the third-year hallway, tottering around the doorway into one of the classrooms. He usually didn’t feel nervous about these sorts of these things, but for the first time in a long time the boy’s stomach was fluttering with enough anxious energy to make Youta meet the minimum requirements of nausea.

It didn’t help that every glance in his direction felt like it was judging him. After years of having Airi at his side, Youta had to admit he was the slightest bit paranoid of how people looked at him. Airi may not have noticed, but the tension had enabled the siblings to avoid conflicts in the past. The only downside was that the male twin was effectively jumpy whenever he was alone.

“Eh, is he an underclassman? He’s kinda cute…”

“Come on, leave him alone, he probably has to do an errand for a teacher or something.”

The whispers of a few passing girls were enough to cause Youta to blush, as well as finally move from his stationary position in front of the door frame. What he needed to do was important enough as it was, not to mention he had left Airi alone in the classroom. Taking a deep breath, Youta finally convinced himself to get moving, striding into the room and quickly locating the upperclassman he was looking for.

Aida Riko was sitting at her desk, with what appeared to be a perfectly balanced meal spread in front of her and a handheld gaming console in the hand not holding her chopsticks. Youta hadn’t pegged Seirin coach for much of a gamer, but he supposed that not everyone had blatantly obvious interests. Finding himself needing to breathe again, the boy did so before approaching her.

“Aida-senpai,” he called, alerting the young coach to his presence. Aida looked up, smiling upon seeing Youta approach.

“Hey there, Watanabe-kun,” she responded. “How have you and Airi-chan been doing? Finally get settled in here?” It had only taken a few visits to practices for Aida to start treating the twins informally. Youta was still trying to adjust to the casual referral, although he was more concerned for Airi than himself.

“We’ve been adjusting just fine,” Youta reported. Even when she was making everyday conversation, Aida seemed to have some layer added to her voice that made Youta feel like she was _his_ coach, too. “Listen, Senpai, I have something really important I need to ask you…” Suddenly, it felt like everyone’s eyes were on him again, even if life in the classroom was moving on as usual.

Aida seemed to pick up on Youta’s tension almost as quickly as Airi would have, the upperclassman smirking a bit. “You wouldn’t happen to be here to confess to me, would you, Watanabe-kun?” Youta could barely sputter out a denial before Aida was laughing. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She took a drink from her juice box. “I can tell that what you want to say is more important than that. Go on.”

Youta willed his nervousness to disappear, but it just didn’t work. Well, there was nothing to do about it now, except to keep going. “Well, Aida-senpai, what I wanted to talk to you about was this,” he said, reaching into his uniform pocket. He produced a flyer, handing it over to Aida who put her game down to make room for the new addition to her hands.

“A charity tournament?” she asked, right on cue. Aida paused, reading over the details. Youta shifted nervously, reminding himself that biting his lip was a bad habit and would easily give away his less than calm mental state. Aida locked eyes with him not long afterwards, a serious look in her eyes. “I’m assuming that you want us to enter this tournament?”

Youta nodded, producing a shaky “Yes.”

“Watanabe-kun,” Aida said, starting a sentence that she never finished. The coach seemed to be considering exactly what to say. Youta took the opportunity to elaborate, hoping that it would increase the chances of receiving a positive answer.

“It’s for my sister,” he said. Aida looked reasonably confused. “Ai-chan wasn’t born blind. We both got matching infections together in elementary school. The only difference is that her eyesight started to deteriorate while I made a perfect recovery.” Youta still felt like he should have been the one to get worse, but there was nothing that could be changed about that now.

“She could still see if she had glasses, but she’s going to end up being completely blind by the time she graduates. When Ai-chan heard that, she decided it would be better to just get used to not seeing right away and started keeping her eyes closed all the time. She’s adjusted amazingly well but…”

“There’s a surgery that could help her,” Aida interjected. Youta nodded as Aida sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. “I read something about that a while back. It’s not cheap and it’s not guaranteed, but it’s the best shot that people like Airi-chan have at seeing again… What does she think about this?”

The lump appeared in Youta’s throat before he could even prepare for it. Swallowing did nothing to get alleviate the feeling. Of all of the problems with this request, this was the one that Youta didn’t have a contingency plan for. “She doesn’t think it’s worth it,” Youta admitted. “We really don’t have the right kind of income to finance something like this, so she didn’t even consider it an option… But if it was something like the lottery or a donation, I’m sure that she would be okay with it!”

Aida nodded once, but didn’t seem sold on the idea. “You’re asking a pretty big favor here, Watanabe-kun. I know it’s for a good cause, but these sorts of things can be tricky. Plus I need my team to be ready for the Inter-high this summer. Putting training time aside and potentially revealing our team strategies before then isn’t exactly a good move…” Aida let out a long sigh.

“I understand,” Youta said, feeling like sighing himself. It had been, at the very least, worth a shot. He was just going to have to be sure to pick up a lottery ticket whenever they went shopping for dinner this evening. “I’m sorry for bothering you like this, Senpai. I’m sure that Ai-chan and I will stop by practice later so…” Youta turned around, keeping his disappointment behind a smile. It wouldn’t be enough to fool Airi, but that should be easily be corrected by the time he returned to the classroom.

“Hold on, Watanabe-kun. I’ll think about it.” Youta paused, looking back at Aida over his shoulder. “This is a decision I feel as if I should consider before rejecting. I can’t make any promises, but I can at least let you know when I do make a decision, alright?”

“Th-thank you very much!” Youta felt so overjoyed that he quickly pulled into a ninety-degree bow without even thinking about it. That was sure to attract people’s attention, but he didn’t care. Straightening up a bit, he said, “Um, though, Senpai, maybe if you could—”

“Keep this a secret from Airi-chan?” Aida finished for him, reaching back for her game. Youta nodded. “I understand. There’s no point in making promises that we can’t keep, right?”

“Right,” Youta agreed, even if that wasn’t it at all. “Thanks again, Senpai. Ai-chan and I’ll see you later.” Not wanting to stay around and give Aida a chance to change her mind, Youta rushed out of the classroom back to Airi’s side.

It looked like he wasn’t going to have to fake his smile after all.


	5. Chapter 05: Commitment

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 05: Commitment

* * *

Onishi Rina, the female class representative, approached the small cluster of desks that was slowly becoming an expected fixture in the class at lunch time. All three of the residents looked up at the newcomer, although in Airi’s case it wasn’t exactly necessary. Tetsuya took note of this occurrence out of the corner of his eye, refocusing his attention back on Onishi so that he wouldn’t appear to be rude.

“Watanabe-san, there’s someone here to see you,” the representative said. Airi perked up at the sound of her name, also appearing to recognize the voice addressing her without any difficulty. While Tetsuya could say he would easily recognize the voices of his friends and teammates anywhere, he was fairly certain that he couldn’t have learned the entire class in the same span of time Airi had. “Actually, there’s two of them. They said that a teacher sent them to talk to you and Kagami-kun.”

_Kagami-kun?_ Tetsuya blinked, his surprise reflected back at him in the form of Youta suddenly paying attention to the conversation. Youta’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he tossed a glance in the direction of the doorway, where the redhead in question was standing.

“Thank you, Onishi-san,” Airi said, standing up from her seat. She adjusted her skirt. Tetsuya thought she sounded a bit nervous but couldn’t say for certain. “Sorry for stepping out like this, I’ll be back in a moment. Nii-san, I can walk to the door by myself, honestly.”

The playful tones in her voice cut off Youta who had just started to make it out of his chair. The older twin sat back down, slightly frowning. When Airi headed towards the door, he watched her, and Tetsuya felt his own gaze following. Airi said something to Kagami with a concerned expression, and the two were barely out of the doorframe before Youta was striding across the classroom without a word.

Tetsuya knew it was none of his business. If Kagami and Airi had discussed something that had involved other students and not mentioning it to him, then they had the right to. But the fact that his two friends seemed to be troubled by something and hadn’t thought to talk to him about it worried Tetsuya. Even if there wasn’t anything he could do to help, at least maybe giving them an open ear could make a difference.

And there was nothing wrong with trying to find them to as, right?

Tetsuya knew he was stretching the normal bounds of logic, but didn’t really care. This wasn’t the first time he had used his misdirection to go unnoticed in everyday life, and it was substantially easier in a crowded hallway than on the court. Youta wasn’t very good at noticing him anyway, so that only made tailing the taller boy easier.

Youta had started quick enough that Tetsuya was sure they were on the right track. The only thing he hadn’t been expecting was for Youta to be able to move so fast. Tetsuya had the distinct feeling that without all of his basketball training building up over the years, he would have lost track of the older Watanabe sibling by now.

Tetsuya almost panicked whenever Youta made it to the stairwell door and sped up so that he wouldn’t lose his target. This resulted in Tetsuya colliding into Youta when he opened the door, both teetering to keep their balance. Youta glared at Tetsuya, but kept his mouth shut, making it possible to hear the discussion happening on the flight of stairs beneath them.

“Watanabe-san, Kagami-san, Miura and I wanted to apologize for our actions the other day,” said the voice of a girl that Tetsuya didn’t recognize. The beginnings of a conversation were enough for Youta to walk over to the railing and lean over, trying to get a look at the situation. Tetsuya decided to join him, keeping a few steps of distance between them.

Airi and Kagami were on one side of the steps, a boy—Miura—and the girl who had spoken on the other. Kagami seemed more tense than usual, positioned almost as an incomplete barrier between Airi and the other two students. Airi herself, from what little of her expression Tetsuya could make out, seemed attentive enough given the situation.

“What Sakamoto-san and I did was wrong,” Miura said. Tetsuya glanced at Youta, the other boy’s expression immediately turning into a frown. “You didn’t deserve what we did, so we’d like to formally apologize. We’d like to apologize for any trouble we caused you as well, Kagami-san.”

Kagami let out a just barely audible scoff, not looking at either Miura or Sakamoto in the eye. Airi stepped forward, taking the diplomatic role. “That’s no problem at all, Sakamoto-san, Miura-san,” she said. “You just startled me the other day and nothing else happened, so I’d say we should be able to put this incident behind us. After all, I’m sure that whatever punishment the teachers have given you will be enough to make up for it.”

That was enough to set off mental warning bells for Tetsuya. A quick glance at Youta showed that his jaw was clenched in addition to his hands gripping roughly onto the railing he was supporting himself on. Tetsuya knew he probably couldn’t say anything to alleviate the situation, but just letting things progress at this rate would probably only make things worse.

“Yeah, we both got slammed with staying back after school for a week on top of needing to apologize to you,” Miura said, scratching the back of his head. “I hope that afterwards we can just put this whole incident behind us.”

Airi nodded, seemingly satisfied. “I think that should be doable, don’t you agree Kagami-san?” The girl turned her head to the boy in question, whose scowl remained on his face despite the words directed to him.

“Listen, both of you,” Kagami said, causing even Sakamoto to jump to attention. Tetsuya winced at his partner’s use of the informal _you_, which Kagami barely ever used. “Just because Watanabe’s okay with this doesn’t mean I am. In the end, she’s the one that was wronged so it’s up to her to forgive you, but I won’t be so easily satisfied. If I ever hear you try and corner someone again, whether it’s Watanabe or some total stranger, just because they’re disabled or anything else, I’ll make you wish the teachers had handled it.”

Tetsuya knew that something was about to happen but was too late to stop it. There was a rush of movement in his peripheral vision that was Youta going to move, and Tetsuya reached out a hand. “Watanabe-kun, wait,” he tried, voice too quiet, fingertips quick enough to brush against Youta’s uniform sleeve but not fast enough to grab on.

“You bastard, what did you do to my sister?!” Youta shouted, barreling down the stairs and building up the necessary force to knock Miura down where he was standing. Sakamoto let out a shriek, stepping back from where her friend was pinned under the older Watanabe twin.

“Nii-san, what are you doing stop it!”

“What the hell, get off me! Son of a—!”

“That’s enough, knock it off.” Tetsuya made it to the level where Youta was now struggling with Miura, a torrent of curses and insults filling the air, just as Kagami took action. The redhead easily got a hold of Youta, although pulling him off of Miura proved to be a more difficult matter. “You’re just making this whole situation a bigger pain in the ass. Hey, I said to knock it off!”

“Stay out of this!” Youta said, sending back an elbow that smacked Kagami straight in the face. Kagami growled, and Tetsuya tried to step in, if not for any other reason than to stop him, only to have Airi step in front of her brother.

“I said stop it, Youta!” she commanded, the most force Tetsuya had heard the girl put behind her words. Youta came to a complete stop at the use of his given name, leaving Miura to be the only one left struggling. With that accomplished, Airi dropped into a bow. “Miura-san, let me formally apologize for my brother!”

Youta recovered, placing his hand on Airi’s shoulder in an attempt to stop her. “Ai-chan, you don’t need to apologize to people like that! Listen, I don’t know what happened, but anyone that does anything to you doesn’t deserve to be apologized to! If you had just told me, I could have done something. I would have—”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” Airi muttered. “Because I knew it would turn into this.” Youta looked hurt enough that even Tetsuya felt a pang of pity for him. “Why don’t you understand it, Nii-san? That I don’t want you to do things like this for me? I don’t mind if you help me, but whenever you go and hurt other people… you’re just making things harder for yourself and I don’t want that!”

Youta attempted to say something a few times, stopping himself before emitting any real words. After a few error attempts, he just rested his head on Airi’s shoulder, who put her arms around him, palms resting on his back. “I just want to keep you safe,” Youta finally managed.

“It’s okay, Nii-san, that’s fine if you want that. But I can stay safe without you getting into trouble for me. No buts this time.” Youta frowned, but nodded in response. Airi reached up to pull at his cheeks. “No need to look so grumpy, either. Why don’t we buy some squid for dinner tonight? At least I can make that properly without killing anyone…”

“Sounds great.”

Kagami let out a sigh, holding a hand up to stifle the bloody nose Youta had given him. Just looking was enough for Tetsuya to know the redhead was still irritated, but Kagami wasn’t about to interrupt the situation just to vent himself. Aside from the one injury, the only other damage seemed to be some dirt added to Youta and Miura’s uniforms that could easily be remedied with a washing. Tetsuya couldn’t speak for any out of sight bruises, but the limit of visible evidence would limit any issues once they returned to class.

“Man, is it just me or are these two a pain in the ass?” Kagami muttered. Tetsuya looked up to his partner and laughed silently. “Is it just me or do you only seem to make friends with troublesome people?”

Tetsuya smiled and said, “I guess that applies to you as well, Kagami-kun.” The reaction was immediate, Kagami bristling at the words. Tetsuya offered a hand to the boy that was still sitting on the ground, leaving Kagami to burn off his energy. “Would you like some help up, Miura-kun?”

Miura seemed just as surprised about Tetsuya’s appearance as expected, but took the hand offered to him nonetheless. “Thanks…” he said, laughing a little as he stood up. “I guess I deserved that, too, didn’t I? Hey, Watanabe-san’s brother, right? I guess if you wanna work something else out to make up for what we’ve done, I’d be okay with that. But Sakamoto-san and I really should be heading back, so…”

Miura stopped, and everyone’s attention drifted about the stairwell where Sakamoto was no longer standing.

* * *

_And so, because Sakamoto ended up being a little snitch, I ended up stuck in here as well…_

Youta sighed, staring down his homework assignments and tapping his pencil against the desk. He didn’t want to get too much of the work done so he and Airi could still do their homework together, but there wasn’t much else he could do. The frustrating part was that his sister really did understand way more of the lessons than he did, and Youta was the one that was supposed to be helping _her_.

At least Airi didn’t have to just sit around and do nothing. Luckily enough, the Seirin Basketball Club was hard at work practicing right now, so she could at least stay with them where Youta knew Airi would be safe. He didn’t like to admit it, but it seemed like Kagami could handle protecting her and Kuroko could at least provide some form of assistance. It was probably the best option that there was at the moment.

That didn’t just mean that Youta had to like it. Not one single bit.

The only thing he possibly disliked on the same level as leaving his sister alone with the basketball club was the room that housed the punishment, and that was just barely. Apparently the only students that had to stay after for the day were Sakamoto, Miura, and Youta, and the teacher in charge either wasn’t aware of the situation or didn’t care enough to think that it would be a good idea for all of them to be in the same room at once.

Sakamoto had apparently already finished her homework, earning herself permission to read while Youta struggled with his own assignments. Just looking at her frustrated Youta, so he stopped. The only enjoyable thing about this was that Miura seemed to be in the same boat as him, constantly erasing his answers on a set of math problems.

At least it wasn’t much longer until the time they had to stay after was done. If Youta was lucky he would be able to make it to the gymnasium before basketball practice let out and make up for the fact that he had been late. After what had happened, Youta just wanted to be by Airi’s side to prevent another incident from happening again.

Why hadn’t she said anything? Youta chewed on the end of his pencil, the history lesson he was supposed to be reviewing completely lost on him. Even if she had said that she hadn’t wanted it to happen like this, that didn’t make any sense. The only thing more confusing was when had it even happened, and that was something Airi had refused to answer, insisting that they put the incident behind them.

A note landed on Youta’s desk, breaking his train of thought. His first reaction was to look to Sakamoto, who was still reading, utterly focused on her book. That only left Miura, since Youta highly doubted that the teacher, as uninterested as she looked, was a liable candidate. Sure enough, Miura was watching Youta, and the latter just finally gave in and checked the note.

_Hey there, Watanabe-san’s Brother, why the long face?_

Youta scowled, just barely resisting the urge to crumple the paper in his hands instantly. Miura didn’t notice, just watched his note’s recipient, with no intentions of returning to his work whatsoever. Against his better judgment, Youta scribbled back a hasty reply.

_It’s nothing. And stop staring at me; it’s creepy._

Youta took a precautionary glance at the teacher, then sent the note back to where it came from. Miura didn’t seem to be exerting the same caution, as the note haphazardly spiraled back towards him.

_Haha, that’s my bad. Say, do you have a name I can call you?_

He really didn’t want to, but Youta ended up writing the kanji for his name on the note before handing it back.

_Well, I’m Jiro. It’s nice to properly meet you, Youta-kun._

_You refer to my sister so casually and I’ll kill you._

Youta hoped that that would have been enough to maybe at least make Miura hesitate, but there appeared to be no such luck occurring in his favor. If anything, Miura seemed to be enjoying the conversation, the boy grinning as he penned out a response.

_I’ll keep that in mind. Say, I was serious earlier. If there’s anything I can do to make up for what Sakamoto and I did, I’ll do it. I don’t think she feels the same way since she ignored me when I got back to class, but at the very least I want to give a proper apology for you and your sister. Maybe then we can get over this rocky start._

Youta pushed his pencil so hard against the paper that he was afraid he might break it. The thin lead snapped more than once while he was writing, delaying the message. Why did people always have to be like this, thinking a little apology was okay when it wasn’t? Youta just couldn’t understand it, especially whenever Airi was so easy going about it, so forgiving.

_What makes you think that you can just act so friendly after all that?!_

“Okay, that’s it for the day,” the teacher said before Youta could fold the paper back up. “You’re all free to go. I know some of you need to stay after school tomorrow, too, so I’ll see you then.” The teacher packed up her belongings, striding out without another word. Youta looked back to the note in his hands and crumbled it, packing up his bag and throwing the note out on the way out. Airi would be mad if he just vented himself like that anyway.

Miura at least caught enough of the drift not to follow him. Once he was clear of the teacher’s eyesight, Youta sprinted down the hall towards the gymnasium. Practice should have been letting out about this time, and he and Airi could go home.

“There you are, Watanabe-kun! I needed to talk to you!” called the by now familiar voice of the Seirin coach. Youta stopped before he collided with Aida, quickly catching his breath after the short run. “Airi-chan’s using the restroom now, so I’ll make this quick, Watanabe-kun. I decided to approve your request.”

It took a moment for the meaning of her words to fully register, and by then Youta was partially speechless. Even though he had had plenty of time to prepare himself, Youta hadn’t expected yes to be the answer to what he had asked for. Remembering he was on a limited timeframe, he stammered, “Th-thank you so much, Aida-senpai!”

“Whoa, easy there.” Aida held up her hands to calm Youta down, but her smile said that she was happy about the response. “I just wanted to let you know that I have some conditions I want you to agree to before you’re certain this is what you want, is that okay?” Youta nodded. “First off, I’m not sending my entire first string in there. I want to have the rest of my second years put more practice in before they have to take the field next year.”

That was reasonable enough, so Youta didn’t object. Aida continued, “Second off, I want you to join the basketball club.”

“H-hold on a second!” Youta protested. “I’m sorry, Senpai, but I can't do that. Whenever Ai-chan picks out a club, I need to be able to go with her, plus I’m not even a good athlete. Just watching you all practice I can understand the level of time and energy I would need to put into it. That’s not something I can commit to right now—”

Aida only shook her head, clicking her tongue once. “I’m going to be straight with you, Watanabe-kun. I have the training to look at a person and realize their potential. While it’s true you may not be on the same level as people who have been playing for years, I know for a fact that you have numbers that you wouldn’t be able to manage without having once played basketball competitively at a time. Plus, Airi-chan happened to mention to me today that you used to play basketball in elementary and early middle school, correct?”

Youta winced, having no choice but to nod. Why Airi had to go and mention that, he had no idea. “While that’s true, Senpai, I stopped playing years ago,” he said. “I just… I mean, I stopped playing so I could help Ai-chan out, and that’s why I came to school here. Joining the basketball club would mean leaving her, and I can’t justify that at all.”

“But if we win, she’ll be able to see and you won’t have to worry as much,” Aida retaliated. She sighed, making her tone sound more relaxed. “I respect and understand your feelings, Watanabe-kun, but I can’t just stand by and not ask you to play for us. Listen, I’m not telling you to play in matches. I’m telling you to come to practice. If we lose and don’t get the money, you can quit right then. And if we win… I’ll leave the decision up to you. But I do know that Airi-chan would really like it if you joined us.”

She was right and Youta knew it. How many times had Airi told him to do what he wanted, to insist that he joined the basketball club again, that he didn’t quit? It had happened in middle school, it had happened at their last school, and it had happened when they had transferred.

_Aren’t you going to play basketball again, Nii-san?_

This time it was Youta’s turn to sigh. “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” he said. “I’ll join the basketball club. Just promise me that you guys will give it your best in the tournament. This is probably the last chance I have to convince Ai-chan, so… please.”

Aida smiled, giving a thumbs-up. “We wouldn’t give any less than our best effort,” she promised. “Airi-chan’s waiting for you by the water fountain. I’ll see you at practice starting next week. Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Youta replied out of habit. It seemed that his old instincts weren’t so rusty after all…

Deciding it was best to not think about it too hard, Youta went to meet up with Airi, thoughts of the dinner she had promised him in mind.


	6. Chapter 06: Desire

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 06: Desire

* * *

Airi settled into her desk Monday morning, a smile on her face. She reached into her bag to organize her work, notches at the top of her notebooks to distinguish them from each other, finding all of her assignments with ease and putting them back into their respective places in her desk. Youta had sat down the same time as her, although not taking the initiative to organize his work. They had arrived early, leaving the classroom void of many students, making it easier to pick up on the familiar presence at it approached.

“Good morning, Kuroko-san,” Airi said, catching the boy off guard. She still couldn’t help but giggle every time he responded that way, even though his reactions seemed to be decreasing from their already low intensity. Soon enough, Tetsuya would adjust to her awareness, and he would no longer be surprised, at least not on a perceivable level.

“Good morning, Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun,” he responded. Youta made a noncommittal grunt, although Airi could tell he was focusing in on Tetsuya like there was no tomorrow. The girl sighed, determined not to let the sour interaction to spoil her mood. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, Watanabe-san, but you seem to be happy about something this morning.”

Airi could only enthusiastically nod. She had noticed Tetsuya easily reading other people, but he hadn’t been doing it as much with her. Letting the details of that particular phenomenon slide, Airi clasped her hands together and held them up to her chest. “That’s because Nii-san decided to sign up for the basketball club!”

There was a silence, Youta and Tetsuya seemingly exchanging glances with each other. Airi waited for them to finish whatever silent communication they were having, pouting slightly. Even though she could read Youta’s serious look perfectly, it meant nothing without knowing the face Tetsuya was making. Even though it didn’t last long at all, Airi’s lack of knowledge made the exchange drag on.

“Welcome to the team, Watanabe-kun,” Tetsuya said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Youta grumbled, and probably only because of Airi’s presence beside him. “I haven’t played in years, so don’t get your hopes up too high for me. And I’m only joining as a temporary member, too. If you think I’m going to help out with your championship streak then you got another thing coming.”

“Nii-san’s just being modest,” Airi interjected, even though it was a bit of a stretch of the truth. She hoped that Youta was feeling alright, especially since he had seemed genuinely happy the night he had given her the news. She slipped a hand over his in the space between their seats where she believed Tetsuya’s blind spot was. “He was actually the captain of our elementary school team. He even made it into the first string at the beginning of middle school.”

“That’s impressive,” Tetsuya complimented. Airi gave the smile she knew her brother wanted to give but was too stubborn to show off. “I actually didn’t start playing until middle school, so I’m sure that you’ll be fine. Coach is a bit harsh at times, but she always does what’s best for the team.”

“Yeah, well, our school wasn’t all that impressive. We always made it far in tournament brackets, but never close enough to get any real attention,” Youta reported. “And then, well, you must have known what it was like to be on a team in middle school.” Airi perked up at the words, not knowing what her brother was talking about. “I quit before the team got their ass handed to them, but no one stood a chance against Teiko. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was still playing or not.”

Youta pulled his hand back from Airi’s, leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. Tetsuya stood still, not saying anything. “Is Teiko really that big of a deal?” she asked. Both boys turned to her, almost like it was a stupid question. Airi sighed. “I really don’t know anything about basketball, after all. I barely know the rules, remember?”

It really was unnerving how quickly boys could forget things. “Sorry, Ai-chan, but you just picked up on the rules so quickly that it kind of slipped my mind…” Airi had to resist the urge to sigh again. Tetsuya borrowed a chair from a nearby desk and sat down on it.

“Teiko Middle School had the top basketball team in the nation for three years straight,” he said. Airi frowned slightly at the tone in his voice, but didn’t interrupt. “While they never lost a match, they did nothing but overwhelm their opponents. In the end, they barely acknowledged the ones they played against, making it a competition between themselves…”

Youta sat up straight again, nodding. Airi turned her head to focus on him. “That’s the Generation of Miracles, for you. Bunch of freakin’ prodigies. No one would have stood a chance against them, so it’s probably better that I quit before then. I heard that a bunch of players just dropped out for good because of how bad they lost… Though to have won the Winter Cup, that means that Seirin bested them all last year.”

Airi nodded, smiling back to Tetsuya again. “The Seirin Basketball Club never ceases to impress,” she said. Tetsuya shifted a little, although Airi couldn’t tell exactly why. Unless he voiced his opinion, Airi had a hard time picking up on his specific movements yet. “If you happened to lose against them in middle school, winning against them must have been a great relief.”

“Well, I was actually part of Teiko’s first string…” Tetsuya admitted. Airi took a moment to recover in surprise, and Youta quickly stood up, sending his chair knocking against the desk behind him.

“You have got to be freaking kidding me!” he shouted, startling both his sister and Tetsuya. The number of people in the classroom had increased since the beginning of the conversation, Youta’s outburst sending a flurry of whispers through the room. The yelling boy didn’t tone down his voice in the slightest. “First you’re on Seirin’s team, then you’re part of that middle school freak show?! You barely have any presence, what the hell?!”

“Um, I thought we were already over the whole ‘lack of presence’ thing, Nii-san,” Airi scolded lightly. Youta pouted and sat down too hard in his chair, a _thump_ resounding from the action. “From what I can tell, it’s a great asset on the field, so then having him on the top middle school team isn’t that far out there in terms of possibility, right?”

Tetsuya nodded. Airi smiled a little, glad that she had at least figured that out on her own. “I was able to play because our captain considered me to be an asset,” he explained. “Although, that being said, even if their methods were a bit extreme, they were still my friends. Could you please not refer to them in such a way, Watanabe-kun?”

“Huh, you really made friends with people like—” Airi nudged her brother under the desk, hard “—I mean, yeah, sorry,” Youta finally managed. Airi smiled at Tetsuya, who seemed satisfied enough, or at least not dissatisfied enough to voice out against it. “The point being is that, yes, I’m in the basketball club, now. Satisfied?”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, look forward to working with you, and all that.”

Airi smiled again. At least if the two boys weren’t getting along perfectly, then they were still interacting well enough to not cause any trouble. That, combined with Youta finally doing something for himself for once, was all Airi needed right now.

* * *

The first day of practice with the Seirin High School Basketball Club, Youta barely had the strength to walk home on his own. Airi supported him back a good amount of the way, legs weak and out of breath. They settled for delivery that night, Youta not giving into Airi’s offers to go out and shop for dinner on her own. By the time the news made its way to Aida, Youta had already recovered enough to purchase proper food every day, although getting on the coach’s bad side wasn’t something he particularly wanted the opportunity to repeat.

The worst part, though was acknowledging the fact that Aida was going easy on him. It wasn’t by much, but Youta was struggling to get through a regimen less than what the first string was working on, and even less than the incoming freshman, some of which only had a good month or so of gameplay experience under their belts. Practices were hard, seemed to drag on forever, and Youta would come away, always sweaty, always out of breath, and always with muscles burning.

It felt amazing.

Youta had honestly forgotten how much he missed this sort of thing. Even if he sucked at it, had to work his ass off to just make it to the end of the day, it had always been fun. Something about working hard to push yourself to get better had its charm, even if could seem stupid and pointless at times. As much effort that he had put in to convince himself that he didn’t need it, basketball was still something that Youta had always known he wanted something to do with.

Part of him felt bad about it, though. While Youta was thoroughly enjoying himself, Airi was stuck on the basketball club sidelines. She didn’t seem bothered at all, constantly cheering him on, her knowledge of the team’s practice providing an accurate enough picture of what he was doing to put a word in. Whenever she did get stuck, Youta saw Airi getting information from the nearest free club member.

Even if she was smiling, did that mean she was really happy? Airi had been so active in elementary school. She could be doing other things, doing what she _wanted_, and instead she was stuck waiting for her brother to finish up basketball practice so she could even walk home safely at all. Youta knew the right thing to do would be to let her go off and join some other club, to give her his blessing, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Airi needed him to be around, to be her eyes. Even if she could just manage fine on her own at times, Youta was the one that helped her _see_ what she couldn’t, added descriptions to the rest of the world. No one else knew just what to say, what sort of things she would want to know. And even if they could, Youta needed to protect her. Despite all the promises the staff had made to their parents, the incident with Sakamoto and Miura was proof enough that it wasn’t safe enough to let Airi be alone.

It would be okay, though. There were only two weeks left until the charity tournament, and better or worse, things would be over then. Either Airi would have her eyes back and be able to look out for herself, or Youta would quit the basketball club and do it for her. It was as simple as that.

“Oi, focus!” Hyuga called. Youta just barely snapped back to attention on time, almost fumbling the pass but just barely recovering it. That sort of move would have normally cost him in a real game, but there was no one else to stop him right now. Aida was having the rest of the second years—the main force for the tournament lineup—run through plays against a mix of upperclassmen and new recruits. Youta had been assigned to practice with the captain in one-on-one set ups as the next step of his own training.

“Sorry, Senpai!” Youta said. While he knew each of the Seirin regulars by their name and play style, he hadn’t anticipated what their personalities would be like at all. As such, the image he had of Hyuga of a calm, cool, and collected clutch shooter beforehand was now in direct conflict with the almost foul-mouthed, respect-oriented reality that was the Seirin captain. “Let me try again! I’m sure I’ll get it right this time!”

Youta passed the ball back to Hyuga, who didn’t move to repeat the play like Youta had expected. “I get that it’s been a while, Watanabe, but you need to focus and take this seriously if you want to join us. I know Riko thinks you have potential, but that’s useless if you don’t give it your all.” Without warning, Hyuga moved, making the pass. Youta barely registered it in time, old reflexes allowing him to secure the ball.

_Take this seriously, huh?_ Even if he was doing this for Airi’s sake, Youta didn’t recall having to put too much effort into it as part of the deal. As long as he showed up and completed his regimens, that was enough. Just two more weeks. He could manage enthusiasm for that long. “I understand, Senpai. I’ll try harder from now on,” he said.

When it came down to it, Youta wasn’t sure if he could take anything else seriously again.

* * *

The Yamashita Charity Tournament’s opening ceremony had been grandiose, easily surpassing the Winter Cup in every way possible. In the end, Tetsuya couldn’t help but feel a bit lightheaded, relocating himself outdoors once the ceremony had concluded. Part of him had always been nervous whenever he stepped onto the court, but this was almost too much, each team getting their own time in the spotlight, proclaiming which cause they were playing for, spotlights dazzling and blinding at the same time.

Additionally, as the tournament was set out to go over the course of a few days, each team was given the funding by the Yamashita Corporation to cover their lodgings for the weekend. They even had enough money for extra guests, permitting Youta and Airi to come along, although the younger Watanabe sibling had no idea why they were participating in the first place.

Even if he understood Youta’s reasoning for keeping things secret, Tetsuya wasn’t sure he completely agreed with it. If Airi would disagree with what they were doing, wasn’t that all the more reason to talk to her about it? It was Airi’s eyesight, so shouldn’t it be her decision?

Tetsuya inhaled deeply, sighing afterwards. Just because he had become the twins’ friend (a very loose term when applied to Youta), that didn’t give him the right to stick his nose into it. If Youta wanted to try whatever it took to get Airi’s eyes working again, that was his decision as well, no matter how much Tetsuya thought Airi would scold all of them if she found out.

“Hey, Kurokocchi, I thought I saw you over there!” a voice called out. Tetsuya turned, seeing the expected person enter his vision. Kise Ryota beamed, stopping once he caught up with his former teammate. “And I thought I heard Seirin’s name earlier. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, but it looks like you guys are playing after all.”

“It’s good to see you again, Kise-kun,” Tetsuya responded. He wasn’t about to admit that he hadn’t noticed Kaijo’s presence in the opening ceremony due to a case of nerves. “I wasn’t really expecting to see you so soon again, especially since there’s still a while until the Inter High preliminaries start up.”

“Wah, I’m so lucky! I get to see Kurokocchi first again.” Kise continued to grin. Tetsuya knew better than to question his friend, so just let the other boy have his moment. At the very least things had improved since the last year between all of them. “So, I’ll admit it. I totally zoned out during that ceremony! So, what are you guys here playing for?”

Tetsuya nodded, not expecting anything else from Kise. When it came down to it, he was the member of the Generation of Miracles that had changed the least since middle school. “Well, there’s this girl and she—”

“Eh, Kurokocchi’s playing for a girl?!” Kise exclaimed before Tetsuya could even finish his sentence. Leave it to Kise to completely misinterpret the words. “Man, that’s no fair! I wanna help you out, but I just so happen to be playing for a girl myself.”

“You should really let others finish speaking before you start to make assumptions, Kise-kun.” Kise immediately went silent after the scolding, pouting slightly. Even if the blonde could be annoying at times, Tetsuya couldn’t say he minded all that much. “She’s one of our new member’s sisters. Her eyesight’s failing and he asked us to play so they can afford her operation.” It wasn’t all the details, but it would be enough. Besides, just mentioning that he happened to be friends with Airi would only send Kise’s theoretical romance spiraling out of control, and that wasn’t what was going on here.

Was it?

Tetsuya shook his head. Airi was his friend and that was it. Suddenly throwing around romantic feelings onto someone else you had only known a short amount of time wasn’t only rude, it was irresponsible. Kise seemed too wrapped up in his own tragedy to notice.

“That’s no fair, Kurokocchi! If I didn’t know better, I’d say you told me that so I’d feel bad and go easy on you.” Tetsuya frowned a little, but didn’t say anything. “Well, even if my cause isn’t as noble as yours, I still need to give it my all. I dragged my team into this, so I’ll take responsibility!”

“What exactly are you playing for?” Tetsuya asked. He had already told his reason, so it was only fair Kise did the same in return. Besides, Tetsuya’s curiosity had been sparked by his former teammate’s earlier comment. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s worth it. You don’t need to go easy on us.”

Kise nodded. “Well, since you asked… There’s this girl I’m interested in, you see. She’s on the art club at school. Since most of our funding goes into our sports programs, I figured if we won and made a donation, then I could impress her, you know?”

Surprisingly, for Kise, it seemed like a well thought out plan. Even if things didn’t work out for his love life, the money would still at least be helpful to someone. “I wish you the best of luck, then,” Tetsuya said. He meant every word, too. Even if he wanted to win, whoever the victor was playing for still deserved the prize.

Kise let out a short laugh, which paired up perfectly with the smile on his face. “Good luck to you, too, Kurokocchi. Maybe we’ll play each other at some point!” A cell phone rang, and Tetsuya looked to Kise expectantly since his own ringtone wasn’t playing. Sure enough, Kise reached for his pockets. “I should probably get going, though. We’re in the first bracket of matches… I’ll see you later!” Answering his phone, Kise ran off, heading back into the building.

Tetsuya decided to stay outside a bit longer before heading back to his teammates.


	7. Chapter 07: Desperation

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 07: Desperation

* * *

Airi leaned forward in her seat, trying to keep her focus on the court in front of her. Despite the amount of time she had been in the environment, keeping up with the game was hard work when it was outside of practice. Not only were there unfamiliar presences on the court, the sheer number of auditory distractions alone lowered her efficiency greatly. There were just so many people in the building, all making so much noise and movement, that Airi had needed to leave the room almost as soon as she had gotten there.

It had been too long since she had been around so many people. Her former schools in Sendai had low enrollment rates, and Seirin was still a new school not even fitted to hosting a large student body. Without even realizing it, Airi had been spoiled, always being put in environments that worked out to her favor. That would have to change soon if she intended to actually accomplish her goal in the near future.

The only things she was certain of were the seat beneath her, Youta’s constant presence at her side, and Tetsuya’s position on the court. As much as she had tried, the other Seirin members just weren’t as distinctive to her yet, only flashing in and out of her senses, with the exception of Kagami, who always seemed to be on the delivering end of the dunks that made the hoop reverberate. It was depressing that was all she could pick up from the front row, but that just meant that this was a learning experience.

And at least she had Youta. Reliable as ever, her brother would report the course of the games to the best of his ability, always recounting plays during or after their completion, as well as a constant update of the score. Airi let herself feel better that she understood most of what Youta was saying, and didn’t bother to question the things she didn’t, saving that for a later date.

Youta was terribly tense for some reason, practically on the literal edge of his seat every game Seirin had played through so far. He seemed to get even more so as they progressed up the brackets, and Airi was willing to bet his back was already stiff. This was only the quarter finals match, too, and she couldn’t help but be worried. Youta wasn’t even playing, so what was the point in getting so worked up?

Tetsuya was suddenly evident in her senses, the familiar rattle of the hoop signaling another one of Kagami’s dunks before it was lost in the roar of the crowd. “Ball stolen, Kagami pulls off a dunk. 73-69, Tonishi, forty seconds left,” Youta reported. There was an obvious distress in his voice, and Airi went to reach for her brother’s hand, lightly squeezing his fingers.

“It’ll be okay, Nii-san, the gap’s not too bad,” she reassured. Silently, Airi hoped that her knowledge of the game was accurate and that what she had said was true. “From what I can tell, Seirin’s recovered from worse situations in the past. Kuroko-san and the others can still win this.”

“Yeah…” Airi frowned a little bit more, focusing all her attention on Youta. Normally he would at least smile at her attempts to cheer him up, and more than likely he would become ecstatic at talking to her. It wasn’t as if Airi thought she was entitled to making him feel better, but the lack of the usual reaction was concerning. “Hell yeah!” he shouted, the call startling Airi as the rest of the crowd cheered. “They just got a three-pointer, 73-72! Another shot like that and this game is in the bag!”

Airi wanted to add her own cheer of encouragement, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even when he was seemingly happy, she could still tell that Youta wasn’t fully convinced. His fingers were lifeless, not pushing back against hers at all. For once in his life, Youta seemed to be genuinely focused on something other than Airi.

She should be happy. This was what she had wanted, had hoped that he could get to a point where he didn’t always need to be centered on all hours of the day. But when she had imagined it, Youta was off doing things he wanted to do, having fun with basketball again or maybe making friends with people that Airi had nothing to do with.

But now…it was something different. It was almost like he was obsessed with something, the answer that was something he had never mentioned to Airi. The thought was enough to send a shiver up her spine.

“Dammit!” Youta cursed just as the crowd let out another cheer. Airi could only assume that the point was not in Seirin’s favor, but had no concrete details. Youta didn’t provide one, only continuing to rant to himself. “How did that shot get through that screen?!” Judging by his reaction, the score difference wasn’t one that could be easily recovered from in the remaining time.

_It’s okay, Nii-san,_ she wanted to say. _It’s just a game, there’s nothing at stake here._ Airi couldn’t manage to let the words out of her mouth. Even if she said them, Youta wasn’t likely to believe it. And as far as she knew, maybe there _was_ something at stake, something that would cause Youta to act like this.

Soon enough, the buzzer went off, signaling the match coming to a close. The applause from the audience was deafening, preventing Airi from understanding exactly what Youta was saying to himself. Knowing there was nothing else to do, she took a deep breath before speaking. “We should probably meet up with Kuroko-san and the others, see if they’re staying for the rest of the time or—”

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Youta suddenly said, snapping out the words. Airi winced back from trying to touch her brother’s arm as he stood up. “I thought that… Dammit, I don’t have a choice then…!”

Airi tried to ask. She really did. But Youta was rushing away from his seat without warning. Airi tried to follow him the best she could, miraculously not tripping over anything, but unable to keep track of him in the din of the sound. She collided with one of the other passerby, and what little orientation she had of Youta’s location disappeared.

“Nii-san, wait!” she called, but there was no response. “Don’t leave me here…”

Airi’s legs collapsed, and she just barely managed to grab onto the edge of a nearby seat before the sob escaped her mouth.

* * *

“Well it looks like we both lost,” Kise remarked. Tetsuya shifted, only nodding in response. The rest of the Seirin representative team had chosen to either go pack their things up or stay to watch the remaining matches. “I guess I’m okay with losing, but I really wish you had won, Kurokocchi. Of course, I would have liked to play you again, too, you know?”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait, then,” Tetsuya said. He was doing his best not to seem too let down by the loss since all the teams deserved to win but wasn’t sure if he was managing it. “I guess that means you’ll just have to find some other way to try and get that girl’s attention, Kise-kun.”

Kise laughed, keeping the sound soft. “Yeah, that’s true. Maybe my noble defeat will be enough to at least catch her eye.” Tetsuya didn’t exactly know how noble a defeat could be on the basketball court but decided now wasn’t the time to dash Kise’s hopes. “So what about you, Kurokocchi?” Kise asked, the playfulness gone from his tone. “What’s going to happen to that teammate’s sister?”

The consequence of losing had already been evident to Tetsuya, even if he wasn’t aware of the exact details. More than likely, the Watanabe family wouldn’t be able to afford the surgery and Airi’s eyesight would continue to decline. Just thinking about it was enough to make Tetsuya feel worse, but he knew that hadn’t been Kise’s intention. The blonde was genuinely concerned.

“I… I’m not sure,” Kuroko admitted. “Watanabe-san has gone through measures to adjust without eyesight, so I think she’ll still be able to continue daily life but…” Youta more than likely wouldn’t be satisfied with the outcome. How was that going to effect the sibling’s relationship if—

“Kuroko-san!” Tetsuya turned at the sound of his name, only to find Airi running towards him. She managed to maintain a straight line well, stopping once she secured a hold on the edges of her target’s jacket. “Kuroko-san, please tell me this is you!”

“Watanabe-san…” he managed in surprise, “what are you doing out here by yourself?”

“Thank goodness…” Airi said. She seemed to relax the smallest bit, despite her continual grip on Tetsuya’s clothes. “Nii-san ran off after the match and I lost track of him in the crowd. I managed to make it out by following the flow of the crowd, but I still don’t know where he is. I don’t have a phone so I can’t call him and…” The girl stopped as she had started, taking her time in turning her head in Kise’s direction, as if noticing his presence for the first time. “Um, and this is…?”

“Kise Ryota-kun,” Tetsuya introduced. The blonde in question was looking at his former teammate and Airi, trying to keep a straight face. Tetsuya frowned a little, but kept his voice even. “He’s a friend from middle school and was participating in the tournament as well.”

Airi’s hands pulled away from Tetsuya’s jacket, doing their best to straighten out their owner’s clothes afterwards. Airi pulled her braid back over her shoulder, dropping into a bow soon after. “It’s nice to meet you, Kise-san. I’m Watanabe Airi.”

“I-it’s nice to meet you,” Kise replied, not mimicking the customary bow. Tetsuya assumed that he was still adjusting to Airi’s accuracy in figuring out where he was. After a moment, Kise smiled again. “So you’re the girl that Kurokocchi was talking about, huh?”

“Kise-kun,” Tetsuya interrupted, “please don’t say things that could be taken the wrong way.” Kise pouted, and Airi giggled slightly.

“Don’t worry, Kuroko-san, I know what he meant. After all, I overheard you two talking just a minute ago.” Airi seemed to have regained her composure from earlier. Tetsuya still felt a little worried for her, but if she was covering it up, there was no need to ask. He was too busy scolding himself for not reminding Kise to keep their participation for the sake of Airi’s eyesight a secret. “I’m guessing that this whole endeavor was Nii-san’s idea?” Tetsuya nodded. “It figures. That explains why he was so worked up over the match…” Airi frowned a little.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t win for you.” Tetsuya knew it was a feeble apology, but he still owed her one. It was more for his own sake than for the team, though. “We all wanted to win for you, but we just couldn’t manage it. I really am sorry.”

Airi shook her head, on the verge of smiling again. “It’s nothing to worry yourself about, Kuroko-san. The idea of being able to see again is a nice one, but I’ve known for years that it wasn’t very realistic. That’s why I decided it would be better to live like this—” she reached a hand up, fingertips skimming over her closed eyelids “—than to pretend like I would still be seeing the same in the next few years.”

Tetsuya didn’t know how she could smile while saying things like that. Kise cleared his throat. “I know I don’t know you very well, Airicchi, but I can tell that you’re strong,” the blonde said. Airi blushed a little, cheeks tinting into a light pink. “Anyone that can take that sort of attitude to something like this has to be.”

“I suppose… I just thought it would be the best option is all. I don’t know if you can really call that being strong.”

“I think so, too,” Tetsuya said. Airi turned her head towards him, lips slightly parted. Tetsuya wondered if that was what she looked like when she was surprised, or if he was just imagining things. “Didn’t you say that people being able to put hard work in dedication into something counted as a form of talent? I think that being able to make the best decision, even if it’s hard, can count as being strong in that kind of world, don’t you?”

Airi giggled again. “Ah, you’ve got me there, Kuroko-san,” she said. “Thank you. You, too, Kise-san. You’ve both helped me feel better. I needed something like that.”

Tetsuya didn’t exactly feel like he needed to be thanked, but felt himself smiling anyway. Kise dropped an arm around his shoulder, causing Tetsuya to scramble for his balance. “No problem at all, Airicchi,” Kise responded. It only made the feeling that taking credit for their unintentional actions was unnecessary more apparent to Tetsuya. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m sure that Kurokocchi will be around to help you out if you need it. After all, he gave his all for you out there on the court today!”

“I really just…” Tetsuya attempted to say. Airi shook her head.

“No need to be so modest, Kuroko-san,” she said. Tetsuya didn’t necessarily feel like he was being modest, just honest. When it came down to it, he felt like every game deserved the players’ giving it their all. This had been no different. “I’m grateful that everyone on Seirin decided to play for my sake considering the short time we’ve all known each other. I just hope that none of you feel obligated to do something like this again. I’ve already accepted what’s going to happen to me.”

“Watanabe-san.” Airi was turned in his direction, the closest it would ever get to her looking at him. If she _could_ see, Tetsuya imagined that her eyes would be locked on him. “Is it okay that we did this for you? I had the impression that you wouldn’t approve, but…”

One of Airi’s hands moved to toy with the smaller of her braids. “Well, there’s no need to get angry at people for trying to do you a favor, especially if it’s too late to stop them from doing so. And it’s true that I really wish people wouldn’t feel obligated to these sorts of things, but Nii-san’s always been doing these sorts of things for me, no matter what.” She shrugged. “This sort of thing doesn’t really bother me at all. In fact, you could say I see it as normal.”

Tetsuya remained silent. She wasn’t mad at him, or the rest of the team. That was good enough for now. Although, there was one thing that was still bothering him.

“So this brother of yours just ran off?” Kise asked. He frowned. Tetsuya kept his gaze on Airi, wondering about the girls’ reaction. She flinched slightly, but her expression remained the same. “Way to be a jerk! If I was the older brother, I wouldn’t just leave my sister alone like that. Strike that, I’m the younger brother and I still wouldn’t just leave either of my sisters alone like that!”

Tetsuya almost reached out to comfort Airi, but didn’t know if she would welcome the physical contact from him. Besides, Kise would just take it the wrong way. Instead, he asked, “What do you think Watanabe-kun was doing?”

“I’m… I’m not sure,” Airi said, trying not to hesitate. “I now understand that he was worked up about the match because of my eyes being on the line. That explains a lot of his behavior.” She frowned, silence indicating that the girl was in thought. “However, I don’t understand where he ran off to. It seemed like he had something in mind from what he was saying to himself, even if I don’t know what that was. Whatever it is, I’m certain it’s very important to him.”

“Well there’s no point in just standing around here. I’m sure he’ll have to return to your room soon enough, so why don’t we go back there for now?” Kise suggested. “I told my team to enjoy the rest of their stay here, so I don’t have any obligations. How about you, Kurokocchi?” The boy in question shook his head. “Then if you’re okay with it, Airicchi, it’ s settled.”

“That sounds like a good way to start.” Even if she sounded confident, Tetsuya felt that Airi wasn’t so certain at all. Something, he wasn’t sure what—gut instinct, maybe?—was letting him guess that she was worried. “Would it be alright if I asked you to stay with me until we find him, Kuroko-san? I know it’s imposing a lot, but you’re the one I feel the most comfortable with besides Nii-san.”

Tetsuya felt himself smiling before he remembered that it would be inappropriate in this situation. Kise didn’t miss it, though, not saying anything, but giving his former teammate a smirk. The shorter boy focused on Airi instead of acknowledging it. “I’ll do my best,” Tetsuya said. “What exactly do you need me to do?” He had watched Youta direct Airi around so many times, but had never considered how much work it may involve. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat.

“Ah, I don’t want to impose on you, so I’ll leave it to the basics. I really don’t know this area well, so if you don’t mind helping me around, that would be perfect.” Airi held out her hand, and Kise covered his mouth to repress a sound.

Tetsuya looked at the hand. As always, it was exactly where it needed to be, in perfect relation to the person it was being offered to. If Tetsuya didn’t know better, he never would have guess at the condition of Airi’s eyes.

Hesitantly, he added his fingers to hers. “It’s no trouble at all.”

Airi smiled, stepping closer to him. “Thank you.” Kise had turned around, almost doubling over from holding his words in. “Is Kise-san alright?”

“He’s fine,” Tetsuya reassured. “Let’s head back to the rooms, alright?”

He took a step forward, and Airi slipped into step right beside him. Tetsuya allowed himself to smile.

Her hand was warm.

* * *

_Dammit… Dammit!_

Youta was out of breath, which was saying something after he had adjusted to Aida’s practice regimen. He had needed to get out of there and had blitzed his way back to the hotel room. His belongings were thrown everywhere, but that didn’t matter. He had found what he was looking for, a small note clenched in his hand.

It wasn’t supposed to get this far. But it had, so there wasn’t much of a choice left. Youta’s hands shook as he punched the number into his phone, somehow not ruining the process. He waited again before hitting the send button and putting the phone to his ear. Each ring of the phone only made his heart beat faster.

“Hello, Hayashi-san? This is Watanabe. About that deal we were discussing… What would I need to do to set that up as soon as possible?”


	8. Chapter 08: Absence

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 08: Absence

* * *

The Monday morning following the tournament, Tetsuya’s phone rang. The caller ID didn’t recognize the number, and he almost considered not answering it. Part of him recognized that such a thing would be rude, and he answered the phone. “Hello, this is Kuroko Tetsuya. May I ask who’s calling?”

“_Kuroko-san,_” the voice on the other line answered, soft and familiar. He knew who it was before she said her name. “_It’s Airi. I’m sorry to bother you like this, but Nii-san hasn’t come home yet and I was wondering if you would be willing to come and help me get to school?_”

There were a number of things that bothered Tetsuya about the request. He had written down his number for Airi whenever they had taken her home just in case she needed anything. However, Tetsuya hadn’t expected that Youta would be gone for so long, leaving his sister alone. The other problem was that Airi didn’t sound worried in the slightest, even though she probably was. It probably was just a reflex so that others wouldn’t consider her weak, but it bothered Tetsuya nonetheless.

He didn’t say anything about it, though. He simply agreed to head over, refreshed Airi’s address in his memory, and got ready as quickly as possible, providing his family a quick explanation as he headed out the door. The Kuroko and Watanabe households were fairly close to each other, only fifteen minutes apart on foot. Tetsuya walked faster than usual, catching his breath before entering the door.

“Is that you, Kuroko-san?” Airi’s voice called out from inside the house. Her hearing was good enough to pick up the sound of the front door opening from that far back in the house. As always Tetsuya couldn’t help but be impressed.

“It’s me,” he called out, taking off his shoes at the door. It looked like each Watanabe twin had a pair of shoes to wear with their uniform and a pair of casual ones. At least that’s what Tetsuya assumed, considering Youta’s school shoes were still present when the male was missing. He dismissed the thought, placing his bag on one of the coat hangers.

“Since you’re still in the entryway, head down that hall in front of you. It’ll go past the kitchen and the living room, then you go down the other hallway on the left. That’s where all the bedrooms are,” Airi instructed. Tetsuya did as told, finding one of the doors open when he finished his journey. “Thank you for coming, Kuroko-san.”

Airi was smiling, already dressed in her uniform. All of the parts were on properly, if not a little messy. The same applied to the rest of the room, where everything seemed to be perfectly in place, but not quite. A few books weren’t quite in line, the bed covers slightly mussed. Youta probably did most of the tidying up, but that Airi could manage this level of aptitude in a house she had barely lived in for a month was as amazing as always.

Tetsuya shook his head. “It’s no problem. Did you eat yet?” He had been able to eat a minimal breakfast before rushing out the door, but he didn’t know how the Watanabe twins managed their mornings. Tetsuya had other family members to prepare food for him, and he could at least boil eggs if the situation was desperate. From what he had heard, Airi wasn’t the most enthusiastic about her own cooking efforts.

“I did.” The short utterance was enough to ease some of Tetsuya’s tension. Airi frowned a little, bringing a hand up to her chin. “Although I’ve just been scraping by on what we have around the house. I’ll need to stop by the cafeteria for lunch today and go shopping for dinner supplies. Our allowances should be in the mail we received, but I can’t really check it on my own.”

Tetsuya had thought that at the least their parents would take the effort to make their mail readable to Airi, until he realized they assumed Youta would always be with her. When it came to it, Tetsuya had assumed that the same thing. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like for Airi, who needed Youta around for something as simple as reading the mail.

“Where is it?” Tetsuya asked. “I’ll take you shopping later today, if that’s okay with you, Watanabe-san.”

Airi smiled at the offer, walking towards the doorway. Tetsuya stepped out of her way, even though she had already taken moves to avoid colliding with him. “Thank you, Kuroko-san,” she said. “I know it’s silly, but this really means a lot to me.”

She could walk down the halls without any trace of hesitation, and still manage to talk to him. Tetsuya wondered if she counted her steps or just used her senses. He tried to imagine keeping his eyes closed and walking through his house without even keeping a hand on walls to guide the way. He couldn’t manage it.

Airi stopped at the kitchen table, picking up a small pile of letters. Tetsuya reached out for them, meeting Airi as she handed them to him. There were advertisements and coupon deals that were expired, and Tetsuya set those aside, creating a separate pile for what looked like bills. At the bottom was a letter addressed to both the twins, a Sendai return address marked on the back. “Do you want me to open it?”

“Please do,” Airi answered. “You don’t have to read the letter, but just split the money in half. Whenever Nii-san comes home, he can check up on it.” Tetsuya tried to ignore the numbers as he split the bills up, returning half to the envelope. Airi took the bills when he offered them, running fingers over the edges. “This should be enough for the week.” Picking up on Tetsuya’s confused expression, she giggled. “Oka-san and Oto-san always put little marks on the money so I can tell them apart. See?”

Sure enough, Tetsuya could see small nicks cut into the bills’ edges. He wondered if something like that was legal, but knew it really didn’t matter. “Then do you want to head out soon? We have time until school starts, but you always get there early, right?” Tetsuya said.

Airi nodded again. “I would need to get my bag from my room first, but…” For the first time in the conversation, she hesitated. “I know this may be a bit much to ask, Kuroko-san, but Nii-san always helps me make sure I look alright in the mornings. I can usually get my uniform on myself, but since I can’t see if anything’s wrong, I can’t fix it myself.” She blushed a bit, the color faintly appearing on her cheeks. “I don’t mind if you touch me to do so, so would you please help me out, Kuroko-san?”

Tetsuya stared for a moment, not saying anything. Airi didn’t seem like she expected him to, just waiting there, almost as still as a statue. He could see the wrinkles in her sweater, and her scarf was tied so that it wasn’t quite straight. He started there, smoothing out the fabric, adjusting the scarf as best as he could guess. He found a stray strand of hair and pushed it out of her face, securing it under her hairclips, ensuring they were parallel in the process. His hands lingered on the sides of her face for a moment as she focused on him, lips slightly parted.

Realizing that he wasn’t moving, Tetsuya moved back, trying not to take the action too quickly. Airi seemed to realize he was done, and they both turned their heads in opposite directions. “There, it’s perfect,” Tetsuya said, just barely breaking the silence with a whisper.

Airi giggled, releasing the rest of the tension. “I’ll just go get the rest of my things and then we can head out,” she said, confirming the plan. “Thank you again for that, Kuroko-san.” She went past him towards the hallway, placing a short kiss on his cheek before leaving.

Tetsuya felt his face heat up and was glad that Airi couldn’t see it.

* * *

Airi explained Youta’s absence off to illness and easily gained permission to have Tetsuya take her brother’s seat in the classroom. She apologized for the trouble, and then did her best to explain the system she and Youta had developed for handling school work.

Most of their courses were lecture-based, which at least gave Airi the opportunity to verbally absorb the information. She seemed to be able to take notes on her own as well, and mainly needed guidance in keeping her lines straight and not overlapping into each other. She used a ruler to manage herself in that aspect, but every now and then Tetsuya would find himself adjusting her lines or correcting some kanji she had misspelled.

For courses like math, it required more hands-on attention, reading off the equations on the board and explaining where the numbers moved. Airi seemed to put more pressure into her pencil for math courses, double-checking her writing through indents and smearing lead across the paper and on her fingers.

The second part was reviewing and homework, which worked much in the same way. Tetsuya would her notes out loud, comparing them to his own. Afterwards they would look at assignments, Airi sometimes taking down several drafts before preparing a final product with better penmanship than some of Tetsuya’s seeing classmates could manage. It was exhausting, but after a week, Tetsuya could say that he was used to the process by now.

Once again, the problem was that the better Tetsuya got at it, the longer Youta was gone. Airi didn’t say anything, but she was definitely worried. She still smiled over dinner and lunch, still greeted Tetsuya in the mornings, and cheered on the sidelines of practice the best she could. The rest of the Seirin Basketball Club kept their mouths shut.

“Dammit, what the hell is he thinking?” Aida cursed the following Monday, glaring at the spot in the line where Youta should have been standing. The club members all watched their coach nervously, and Airi flinched on the sidelines. “If he intends to quit, he needs to let me know. Unless you formally resign, you’re still a part of this team, does everyone get that?”

“_Yes, ma’am!_” the team responded in unison.

“Good!” Aida let out a mix of a growl and a sigh. “Airi-chan, have you tried calling Watanabe-kun’s cell phone? This is getting ridiculous.”

Airi nodded and said, “I did. He never answers and never calls me back, even when I leave voice mails. I’m worried that something might have happened to him, but it always rings, so that means that it’s charged.” She looked a bit defeated, but quickly stood up, giving a small bow to Riko and the rest of the team. “I’m really sorry about all the trouble Nii-san is causing everyone!”

Aida patted the other girl on the back, smiling softly. “Come on, Airi-chan it’s not your fault. Besides, I’ll just make him work his ass off for all the practice that he’s missed so far, even if he does decide to quit!” The rest of the team shifted nervously, and Tetsuya let loose a silent prayer that their coach didn’t add her frustrations onto their training regimen. “Alright, we’re gonna do partner drills today! Split up as follows…”

As usual, Tetsuya found himself partnered up with Kagami. Riko was giving each team individual instructions, and the duo awaited their turn. Kagami adjusted, not looking at his partner but not saying anything. Tetsuya smiled slightly. “What is it Kagami-kun?” he said.

Sure enough, Kagami bristled a bit before relaxing, and Tetsuya resisted the urge to laugh. “Dammit, Kuroko, how do you do that?” the taller male asked. He sighed and shook his head before Tetsuya could answer. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just ask my question. Watanabe’s important to you, right?”

“What do you mean?” Tetsuya responded without thinking. Kagami had asked a straightforward enough question, but it could be easily taken in more than one direction. Tetsuya could easily answer it, but it could easily be taken the wrong way if he wasn’t careful. It was best to play it safe.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Just answer the question. Ah, forget it, I know the answer already.” Tetsuya blinked at the dismissal, and Kagami took a deep breath. At least he wasn’t projecting his voice as loudly as he normally would, enough so that the beginning sound of their teammates practicing covered up his voice from others. “You wouldn’t go through all the trouble of taking care of her this past week if you didn’t care at all.”

“She needs someone to help her,” Tetsuya said before he caught himself. “She doesn’t need it for everything, but she still needs someone every now and then. Though I guess I am going out of my way here… Am I really being that obvious, Kagami-kun?”

Kagami rolled his eyes. “I really can’t believe how clueless both of you are,” he commented. Tetsuya could only blink in response. “Why don’t you just say something already? If you think too hard, you’ll just end up wasting a bunch of time, you know. At least that’s what I think.”

Tetsuya tried to frown, but the expression was more akin to a pout. Kagami had completely ignored the question, and given advice without being prompted. It wasn’t as if Tetsuya didn’t know what to do, but now didn’t seem like the right time. He opened his mouth to insist on a proper answer, only to be interrupted by Riko as she approached them and started on her rounds.

* * *

Airi pulled her key out to unlock the front door, but didn’t hear the normal click that would resound from the lock coming undone. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, not sure if she wanted to open it. There was the chance someone had broken in, but she didn’t think that was the case. She turned back to Tetsuya, who was waiting behind her. “Is something wrong, Watanabe-san?”

“Kuroko-san,” Airi said, “did I lock the door this morning? I was certain I did, but I’m not so sure now.” She focused in on the boy, blocking out the rest of the street. Tetsuya nodded once. Airi tried not to let her hopes get too high, but ended up running inside the house anyway. ”Nii-san!”

She pulled off her shoes, dropping them without paying attention to where they landed. It would be a pain to find them later, but if Youta was here, he could help. Tetsuya was more careful in his approach, and Airi left him behind. She almost ran to her brother’s room, stopping when he called out to her in the kitchen.

Youta stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. His voice was still clear, and Airi grabbed onto her brother’s clothes, feeling around to see if he was hurt. She found no injuries, quickly burying her face in his chest to try and muffle her sobs. “Wh-where did you go?” she asked, voice failing to be steady. “Why didn’t you answer when I called? I-I was scared, Nii-san, I thought something had happened to you!”

Youta patted her on the back, his hands comforting. “Shh,” he said, voice soft and warm. It had been so long since Airi had heard him she almost wanted to cry more. “Don’t worry, Ai-chan, I just went to take care of some things. It’s a surprise, you see, so I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry, but it’ll be alright. After this, we won’t have to worry about anything anymore. Just calm down and we can talk about it.”

Airi nodded, clinging onto Youta as hard as she could. She knew he was here, that things were alright, but she didn’t want to run the risk of her brother disappearing again. At least for now, he was warm, and comforting. They were together again, and everything was going to be fine.

So why did something feel wrong?

“Watanabe-kun, where did the money come from?” Tetsuya’s voice asked from the kitchen entrance. Airi turned her head back, and Youta distinctly scowled in her range of perception. Her brother didn’t answer the question, and Tetsuya stood there in silence, awaiting an answer.

“What’s he doing here?” Youta asked. The warmth in his voice was gone, replaced with annoyance. Airi sighed, not wanting to deal with this. Reunions were supposed to be happy, not stand-offs between boys. Couldn’t Youta just put aside his dislike for Tetsuya and let the moment be a good one? They had so much to catch up on that there wasn’t time for petty arguments.

Airi stepped back from Youta, hoping to quickly siphon off the potential for disagreement. “Kuroko-san’s been making sure I’ve been getting home safe,” she said. Even though she wasn’t in the same proximity, she could still tell that Youta had flinched. “Now what’s this money he’s talking about, Nii-san? Why didn’t you mention it?”

On a guess, Airi ran a hand across the table, hand colliding with a stack of presumed bills. The impact caused the small tower to collapse. Airi picked one up, feeling the wrappings that prevented the bills from scattering. She ran her fingers over the top of bills out of habit, but found nothing that would help.

“How much is it?” Airi asked. “How did you get it?”

“The last part’s not that important,” Youta dismissed with a wave of his hand. Airi didn’t like the tone in his voice; he always sounded like that when he was hiding something. “I got a friend to lend it to me, that’s all. It’s enough to pay for your surgery, so that’s all that matters really. I’ll pay it back in time, so you just leave that to me. Isn’t it great, Ai-chan? You’ll be able to see again!”

Youta had to be smiling. Airi felt like she wanted to cry. Kuroko took a few steps towards the siblings, placing a hand on Airi’s shoulder. Youta was so pleased that he didn’t even say anything to stop the other boy. “What do you think, Watanabe-san?” Tetsuya asked.

Airi wasn’t sure what to think. Obviously, she should be grateful. Someone had been willing to give Youta a chance for the sake of her eyes. And yet, at the same time, it wasn’t right. This wasn’t some stroke of luck that was letting this happen, it was an intentional act. He was trying to hide it, but it sounded like Youta was in _debt_ because of the pile of money on the table.

That had never been what she had wanted.

“How could you, Nii-san?!” Airi said before she could stop herself. She tried to inhale to calm down, but the breath stuck in her throat. Youta recoiled, and Tetsuya’s hand disappeared from Airi’s shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you understand? I would never want to see so badly that I would ask you to do anything bad to yourself!”

“H-hey, don’t be like that, Ai-chan, just listen to yourself,” Youta said. He laughed nervously. “This isn’t really anything too bad. If we had more time, I would just save up the money myself, but we don’t. I couldn’t make this much money in less than two years if I tried.”

“Then don’t even bother! You’re not listening to me, Nii-san! You never do!” Airi reached behind her, gaining a grip on Tetsuya’s shirt. The boy didn’t step in or object. “If you can’t afford to pay back that loan, there’s no point in taking it. You’re just going to incur so much interest that it won’t be worth it. Take the money back, I refuse to use it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” It was almost intimidating how Youta managed to keep his voice low and still sound angry. Airi took a step back, almost running into Tetsuya. “Stop worrying about me and think about yourself for a moment! I’m not worth anything, so it’s alright if I’m in debt or whatever. You, Ai-chan, deserve to at least be able to _see_ so you don’t have someone like me holding you back!”

“Don’t talk like that, Nii-san!” Airi retorted. She had felt desperate beforehand, but now she could feel her frustration coming out. Her voice evened out. “You mean the world to me, that’s why I’m not about to let you do this. I’m sure that if you just go and explain that you don’t need the loan, this whole thing will be over. We can go back to doing homework and walking to school like always. You’re _not_ worthless because I need you, Nii-san, so _please_.”

Youta stepped forward, his foot making a sound echo inside the kitchen, even though he wasn’t wearing shoes. This time, Airi flinched. “That’s not how this works at all,” Youta said, his voice low. “You wouldn’t understand because you’re—!”

“I think that’s enough, Watanabe-kun. You’re scaring her,” Tetsuya said. Even with his voice as soft as it was, he was able to bring Youta’s words to a halt. The shorter of the two boys stepped into the middle of the conflict, putting a barrier between the siblings. “Please understand what Watanabe-san’s trying to say. I know she appreciates that you would do this, but it’s not something she wants if you’re troubled in the process. She wants to look out for you as much as you look out for her.”

Airi moved in a way that she hoped would make her visible from behind Tetsuya. “Kuroko-san’s right, Nii-san,” she said, almost whispering. “I don’t want to fight about this anymore. Why don’t we talk so we can make a decision together?”

“Nah, I’ll pass,” Youta said. Airi tightened her grip on Tetsuya’s shirt. “You don’t need me around when you’ve got him, right? Oh, don’t even bother, both of you.” Airi stopped in the middle of saying something, and it seemed like Tetsuya had opened his mouth as well. There was the sound of movement, and when Youta spoke again, his voice was echoing in the hallway. “Gimme a call if you decide to make your eyes useful again. Otherwise, just leave me alone.”

Airi tried to follow him, but the door slammed before she could catch up. Tetsuya was at her side, and Airi turned her head in hopes that he wouldn’t see her cry.


	9. Chapter 09: Culinary

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 09: Culinary

* * *

Youta didn’t come back to school, and from the way Airi talked, he didn’t come back home, either. Tetsuya was still walking Airi back and forth to school, taking her brother’s seat in the classroom. It was getting to the point that the rest of the class was on the verge of erupting with questions, and Tetsuya made sure to take Airi places where they could eat in peace. He was suddenly worrying about her wellbeing, not wanting to bring up any unnecessary stimulus that could relate back to the incident.

It was almost ironic. These were probably the things that Youta had always worried about, and Tetsuya was only beginning to consider them now. And somehow, Youta had gotten the idea that he wasn’t needed anymore. Even if Tetsuya was doing his best to fill in the gap, it wasn’t a role that he fit into easily or felt properly suited to.

Airi was amazingly strong, at least in Tetsuya’s eyes. She had only cried after the argument, and that had passed quickly. It was true that Tetsuya wasn’t always with her, but she was at least strong in front of others. She still smiled, talked to her other classmates when necessary, and managed to keep her schoolwork going. At times, Tetsuya felt like he had imagined the whole thing.

Except he was certain that he hadn’t. It was hard to pick up without being able to follow her eyes, but Airi still gave off signals. There were times whenever someone mentioned their own sibling, whenever math problems involved money, even whenever there were sales on ingredients for certain dishes where she would just stop whatever she was doing, stay silent and unmoving until she recovered. She would always flinch whenever teachers called role and marked Youta absent, and no matter how much she tried, Airi would always seem sad to say goodnight and close the door, leaving her alone in the house.

“So what are you gonna do about it?” Kagami asked, sounding particularly bored. Airi was in the middle of discussing classroom duties with one of the representatives, and the basketball partners were close by, each keeping an ear out in case the conversation went the wrong way. “You can’t just sit there and worry about it forever. Some people do just get magically better on their own, but not everyone’s like that, you know.”

“I know,” Tetsuya responded, looking down. When it came down to it, the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. If he didn’t know better, Tetsuya would say he was more depressed than Airi was. “I think that Watanabe-san’s the kind of person that might be able to pull through this by herself, but that doesn’t mean that I should let that happen. I want to be able to do something to help her.”

Kagami sighed, accompanied by a roll of the eyes. Tetsuya decided not to comment on the exaggerated gesture. “So then do something. It’s that simple.”

“I’m just not sure exactly what I should do,” Tetsuya admitted, scratching his cheek. “I may have been spending all this time with her, but that doesn’t mean I automatically know the best solution.” This time Tetsuya sighed, frustrated. “I know something’s better than nothing, but I feel like if I make the wrong decision then I’ll just make things worse.”

“You’re thinking way too damn hard about this.” Kagami looked down to Tetsuya, meeting the shorter male’s eyes. “It doesn’t have to go out of the way and be some giant affair. You’ve been her friend since the beginning of the school year. You should at least know things she likes or something that she wants to do, right?”

Tetsuya blinked. Kagami was surprisingly good at this sort of thing. It would be almost unnerving if it wasn’t such a useful thing right now. Tetsuya closed his eyes, trying to think. _Something she likes. Something she wants to be able to do. Don’t think, just make a decision. Surely you can think of something._

It clicked, just as simply as Kagami predicted. Tetsuya smiled a bit at his partner, who seemed to be waiting for a response. “Kagami-kun, could I ask you a favor?”

* * *

“You can probably guess, Watanabe-san, but the reason I asked you to come here was to talk about your brother,” Hara-sensei said. Airi was in the faculty lounge, and she wished that someone had come with her. She had never been in the lounge before, and the lack of an idea of her surroundings was intimidating. In moments like these, where there was no mental layout across the insides of her eyelids, Airi was forced to remember that she was blind, as simple as that. She pushed her eyelids together, resisting the urge. At least the homeroom teacher had been kind enough to provide the girl with a chair instead of making her stand.

“I can understand why you would tell us that Watanabe-kun’s been sick,” Hara continued. “It’s really the best alternative that won’t reflect badly on him. But let’s be honest. It’s been almost two weeks, Watanabe-san, and unless you can provide proof, we can’t keep this up without it affecting his grades. I don’t mean to intrude, but I may need to speak with your parents at this rate.”

Airi bit the inside of her lip, but stopped herself. If the school started calling their parents, things would only get worse. Airi hadn’t even told her mom and dad that their son was skipping school and avoiding the house. She hadn’t even asked Tetsuya to read their letters, just split up the money and left it out. It always seemed to disappear at some point or another, which only confirmed her suspicions.

“Nii-san’s been avoiding the house,” Airi admitted. It seemed Hara wasn’t the type to provide expressions when it wasn’t necessary, as his body language didn’t change. “I don’t know where he’s gone, and he never answers his phone when I call. Oka-san and Oto-san thought he was just throwing a fit because things haven’t been going his way lately, so they told me that we would pretend he was sick for everyone else. I’m sure you can understand, Hara-sensei.”

Hara considered her words, but didn’t pick up on the lie. It was almost scary how easy it was to twist the truth, and Airi decided not to say anything else that wasn’t necessary. Hara sighed, clearly conflicted about the situation. “Have your parents at least contacted the police about this? If he’s refusing to go to school or come home, then, even if he is a minor, there still are consequences for this sort of thing. He might also be in trouble or hurt somewhere.”

“Please don’t think that we haven’t considered the situation fully, Sensei,” Airi said, a bit of an edge to her voice. She was already worrying enough as it was, she didn’t need other things to keep her up at night. Reigning in her unintentional disrespect, Airi relaxed a bit before she continued to speak, even if she still felt on edge. “Our parents are currently doing whatever they can, considering that they still haven’t completed the move yet. I promise that I can give you any updates if you’re concerned, but that’s about all I can do. Oka-san and Oto-san think this is a family matter and that no one else should be bothered by it.”

In this case, the words of her parents were really her own thoughts, but Airi stood her ground. As long as she sounded convincing, that should be enough. There would be no phone calls to her parents, and maybe Youta would come home while they were waiting. Airi would have left if she wasn’t certain she would fall while trying to find the door. Hara didn’t seem to have a retort, and stood up from his chair. Airi followed suit.

“If your parents want our help, the school will do whatever it can,” he said, although it sounded like token words more than anything else. Hara guided Airi along with a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry to bother you like this, Watanabe-san, I’m just doing my job. Have a nice day.”

“Have a nice day, Sensei,” Airi said with a smile. The faculty door shut, and her expression slipped into a frown. Hara was competent as an instructor and not much else. He had just left her in the hallway without much to work off of. Airi placed a hand on the wall, trying to orient herself. As long as she found Tetsuya, things would be okay. He would probably either be in the classroom or the gym. Those were at least two places she could make it to on her own.

“There you are, Watanabe, I was lookin’ for ya.” The sound of Kagami’s voice was distinct, and Airi instantly locked onto the tall boy’s presence. “If you go running off like that, you just end up worrying Kuroko, and then he comes and asks me to help. Not that it’s a pain since we don’t have practice today, but still.”

Airi laughed a little, a release of her nervous energy. Some traces remained, but at least she felt a bit better. Kagami was just the distraction she needed. “Sorry, Hara-sensei needed to talk to me and didn’t give me much time to warn anyone.” Kagami let out a soft grunt. Airi wondered just how much he had figured out, but didn’t ask. “I’ll have to apologize to Kuroko-san once I see him, though. He probably wants to head home soon.”

“Ah, not exactly,” Kagami said. Airi tilted her head up, trying to get a better lock on his movements. “Listen, I know this is gonna sound like it came out of nowhere, but Kuroko said you were interested in learning how to cook and I guess I’m a pretty good chef so since we have the afternoon off, I could teach you some stuff, if that’s alright.” The words came out so fast that Airi was convinced that she misheard him. “We can use the school’s home ec room to save trouble since I live in the opposite direction of you. How’s that sound?”

He was waiting for an answer. Kagami had a gaze so intense that even Airi could tell it was there, without having to focus and calculate social expectations. She put a hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. “You’re serious,” Airi said, the corners of her mouth turning up without having to be forced. A bit of her laughter escaped. “I didn’t think you’d be the type to know how to cook, Kagami-san.”

“Yeah, well, I live alone, so it’s only natural.” Kagami scoffed. “So do we have a deal or what? I already got a teacher’s permission to use the place and some supplies, so we won’t get in trouble.”

Airi already felt like she was imposing enough. Kagami probably cherished his nights off from basketball practice, and this was one of the last breaks they were going to get as Riko intended to have them train their butts off for the sake of the upcoming Inter-High preliminaries. But he had already gone through the trouble of preparing the room, so turning him down was likely to be a greater inconvenience as it was.

“Alright,” Airi said. “Thank you very much for your offer, Kagami-san. Would you mind leading the way?”

* * *

Sure enough, Kagami hadn’t been lying whenever he had said he had gained permission. The room was noticeably empty, and there were ingredients already lying in wait on the table. Airi ran her hand across the table, encountering a bowl of eggs, a container that sounded like there liquid inside when she flicked at the side, a package of sugar, and a few measuring utensils.

“Tamagoyaki?” she asked, trying to make a conclusion from what she knew was there. Kagami gave an affirmative grunt, and Airi was left wondering how he knew. This hadn’t seemed like it was his idea entirely, but there was no point in asking about it. “I know the basic instructions, but I can never seem to make it right.” The thought brought up Youta praising her food, but she pushed it aside. Focus on the lesson.

“Well, then let’s see what you normally do,” Kagami prompted. Airi hesitated, not wanting to waste any more ingredients than she had to. “Come on. I can’t do anything if I don’t know what you normally do, especially if you don’t know what’s wrong. Just go for it. If you worry about screwing up all the time, you’re not gonna get anywhere.”

Kagami was right. It had been a long series of trial and error before she and Youta had figured out a system for her surviving, for letting her _see_ the rest of the world that couldn’t be taken in with her eyes. They had almost both ended up in remedial lessons that year, and were told to stay after school for make-up tests more than once. If screwing up one more time meant that she could get something _right_ in the future, Airi would take that risk.

She reassessed her supplies, taking a bowl that Kagami pushed to her when she couldn’t find it. Slowly, Airi cracked the eggs, then took her time pouring the other ingredients, making sure not to spill or overflow. When she finished, Airi was about to reach for the whisk whenever Kagami made a sound in his throat.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your balance is way off. That mix won’t come out right,” Kagami informed without mercy. Airi paused to think things over. She was certain that she had done it properly, measured out everything exactly as she remembered it. She would guarantee it. Then what was the problem. “I bet you read a bad recipe at some point, so that’s what’s throwing it off. Listen up.”

Airi snapped to attention, even though it wasn’t necessary. Kagami pressed one of the measuring spoons into her hand, and the raised letters pressed against her skin. “You only need about three of these for the soup stock if you’re making it for two people,” he instructed. “No more than two for the sugar, though I guess that’s up to you. How sweet do you like your eggs?”

Airi didn’t particularly like them too sweet, but Youta did. She concentrated on the situation at hand before her smile broke. “I’d say about semi-sweet,” she concluded as a middle ground. Kagami nodded.

“Then one and a half should do just fine. The heat goes through most of the sugar anyway, so that should be enough for you.” _Three, one and a half._ Airi repeated the numbers a few times mentally, hoping to memorize them. Kagami was shuffling around, then passed a new bowl to her. “Go ahead, try again.”

Airi repeated her actions from before, except with the correct numbers and amounts. She felt silly for it being this simple and not having anyone correct her before. That just meant that Youta hadn’t known, either, or maybe he really did like the taste of disproportioned eggs. There was no way to tell. Finishing the mix, Airi went to turn on the stove, but realized it had a different mechanic than the one she was used to. At home, they had already marked dents around the dial so that Airi could adjust the heat level herself. She didn’t think that vandalism of school property was an option.

“Just move it slowly and I’ll tell you when to stop,” Kagami suggested. Even if he was a bit rough around the edges at times, there was something comforting about the male’s presence. It was different from Tetsuya, whose presence was soft and naturally relaxing. It was almost as if his brashness was what made Kagami nice to be around.

_He doesn’t bother to even try and act like I’m not blind. He doesn’t watch his words at all, and I didn’t even have to tell him to do it. Kagami-san is more perceptive than people seem to realize._ Airi smiled a bit to herself as she set the stove to the correct level. She checked around, securing the spatula in her hand before pouring the egg mixture into the frying pan. _I’m glad he’s Kuroko-san’s friend._

“Eh, it smells different,” Airi said before she could stop herself. Kagami was probably giving her a confused look, so an explanation was probably in order. “I usually tell when to flip and wrap it up by the smell. Of course, since the mixture’s different, it would give off a different scent.” She felt silly for not even considering the possibility.

“So just keep your guard up and I’ll tell you when to flip it,” Kagami almost repeated his last instruction, and Airi giggled. Kagami didn’t seem to bother with being offended. “By the way, Watanabe, how do you feel about Kuroko?”

The question came out of nowhere so suddenly that Airi almost shook the frying pan. She wasn’t sure what the fate of the eggs would be, but it wouldn’t be pleasant for them or her uniform. Even with the school provided apron on, there would still be a mess and Airi didn’t fancy walking home in her gym clothes. “I’m sorry, Kagami-san, I don’t see what that has to do with cooking,” she managed to recover.

She could almost hear the sound of Kagami rolling his eyes in his voice. “That’s ‘cause it doesn’t,” he admitted. Airi wanted to protest but didn’t. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t wanna, but I’m getting tired of you two not picking up on each other. So I at least want to know if part of the reason that you’re not acting is me reading the situation wrong. Also, you can flip that now.”

Airi focused on flipping the eggs, attempting to memorize the smell in the process. Her face was more than likely red by now, and she sat the spatula down in favor of chopsticks. Surely this had to be some sort of joke, right? Airi blocked out everything else for a moment, trying to see if anyone else was around, but the room was as empty as it had been before.

“I guess… No, I’m certain I like him,” she whispered. It was the first time she had used _daisuki_ towards anyone outside of her family, and it sent her heart to her throat. She hadn’t even realized that it was coming, since she didn’t know what it was like to fall for someone. Airi sighed. She was love-struck if she had ever seen it.

“Then I think you two need to have a serious talk,” Kagami concluded. “Go ahead, it’s ready to roll.” Airi took in the smell, made sure her chopsticks were centered, and set about folding the eggs into a complete roll. There was a plate nearby and she placed the completed tamagoyaki on it, too preoccupied to smile at the achievement. “You have enough mix to make a second one, so you might as well try it on your own. I’ll go get Kuroko, and you two can eat while you talk.”

Airi wanted to protest. This had to be some sort of joke! She had never suspected Kagami to be the practical joker type, but people always had secrets. Although, as much as she hated to admit it, the tone in his voice had been perfectly serious.

Kagami stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Airi was left alone with the sound of frying eggs.


	10. Chapter 10: Vantage

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 10: Vantage

* * *

It was silly, but Airi was glad that the Japanese used chopsticks. Aside from the fact that there was only one utensil she really had to master in order to eat most foods, silverware was just too noisy. Talking over meals seemed impossible with all the clatter. They had eaten out at a foreign restaurant as a special family meal, and the sound of metal against glass had been enough to derail Airi’s then still developing perception of the world.

Although, in this case, it might not have been so bad. The home ec room was silent now, aside from the few sounds of the person across from her. Kagami had long disappeared, leaving no one else to focus on the room aside from Tetsuya.

“Are you not going to eat?” he asked, between bites of food. He was eating the tamagoyaki slow, but seemed to be enjoying it. Airi hoped so, since she hadn’t yet had the courage to attempt to eat her own. Her stomach was terribly unsettled right now, and her mouth dry. There was no sense in wasting food, especially some that Kagami had gone through all the trouble to help her make.

“Sorry, I was just distracted,” Airi said, feeling around for the chopsticks. She found them, made sure her hold was proper, and took a bite. It was delicious. After months of eating faulty attempts at eggs, a few adjustments had been all it took. She could have to thank Kagami later for his help.

_Kagami-san._

“Um, Kagami-san said that we should talk.” Airi waited for Tetsuya to respond, but it appeared that he was in the middle of chewing his food. Might as well talk while she still had a voice to function with. “He didn’t say much, though, so I don’t know about what. I was wondering if you had any ideas, Kuroko-san.”

Tetsuya shook his head while swallowing. He placed his chopsticks own on the side of his plate, causing a small sound. Airi hadn’t even noticed that he had finished already. “Kagami-kun just said that your cooking went well and that I should try some. Then he went home,” Tetsuya explained. Airi sighed. Their reason for being here was gone, and he hadn’t even offered an explanation. “Thank you for the food, though, Watanabe-san. It was good.”

“Ah, I’m glad you think so.” Airi tried to stop herself from blushing, but wasn’t able to manage it. Usually, Tetsuya didn’t manage to fluster her, but admitting her feelings to Kagami was an embarrassing enough reminder. She rubbed her chopsticks together but didn’t touch her food. “Has Kagami-san asked you anything strange lately?” she asked. It was the best way to bring it up without giving it away.

“Strange?” Tetsuya echoed. Airi nodded and took another bite of her eggs. If she couldn’t make it at this quality again, she would be disappointed. “It depends on what you consider to be strange, Watanabe-san. But I guess we’ve been talking about the usual sorts of things, so nothing strange has come up.”

_Did he… just hesitate?_ Airi giggled a little, hiding it as she chewed. “I think that maybe I should tell you something.” She spoke slowly, considering each word as she said it. Tetsuya seemed to sit up a bit straighter, like he was focusing his attention. “It’s nothing bad,” she assured. “It’s just something important to me that I think you should know, too…”

She felt silly for starting this. Tetsuya probably had other things to focus on, and here she was, taking up his time. She had imposed on Kagami as well. And yet neither of them seemed to mind at all, even when they could be doing other things with their time. Tetsuya was waiting, just as calmly as ever.

“I’m listening,” he said. It was incredibly reassuring. Airi knew for a fact that what she had told Kagami had definitely been the truth. The hard part was just going to be saying it again.

Airi lowered her head, even if there was no way to even create eye contact with Tetsuya, let alone break it. She resisted to urge to laugh. Her thinking was definitely addled if she was resorting to reflexive actions like this. “I feel bad for springing this on you. And I don’t really expect you to reciprocate, so please just hear me out.” Airi raised her head, making eye contact with her mental representation of Tetsuya. “The truth is that I like you, Kuroko-san.”

She fully expected to be rejected. There was no reason that Tetsuya would have to like her, which was why she had been holding back. There was always the risk that their friendship would become awkward, and Tetsuya was slowly becoming her only lifeline. She hadn’t wanted to ruin that at all, but something about Kagami’s words made her think she should try.

_If you worry about screwing up all the time, you’re not gonna get anywhere._

Airi was sure that Tetsuya would let her down gently though. He would say something like “I’m sorry but I can’t return your feelings,” and that would be that. He would still walk her home, help her with her homework, with dinner. He would try his best to treat her the same way, just like he tried to interact the way she wanted with her blindness, and she would try to move on. That was how first loves were supposed to end.

“Watanabe-san,” Tetsuya said, his voice still soft, still gentle. It was coming. Airi held her breath, ready to smile whenever it did. There was no need to make any of this awkward. “We should do something together tomorrow, then. It’s my last day off before Inter-High training. We should take advantage of it.”

“Eh?” It was the only sound Airi could produce; the words had sucked the breath right out of her. The smile she had been preparing disappeared, then formed without thought on her face. She searched Tetsuya’s voice, trying to find some trace of pity in them. There wasn’t any, and it only confused her more.

Tetsuya frowned, one of his small ones. “Do you not want to go on a date?” he asked. He was _concerned_ of all things. Airi wanted to give a reply, but couldn’t even bring herself to move her head for an answer. Why was he talking about dates all of a sudden, at a time like this? “Ah,” he said, a sound of understanding. “Sorry. I did that out of order. What I meant was that I also like you, Watanabe-san. Is there some place that you’d like to go tomorrow?”

Airi’s voice broke free in the form of laughter. At least it made sense why she was grinning like an idiot now. She reached her hand across the table, Tetsuya’s familiar fingers meeting hers, but for some reason, it felt different now.

“The weather’s supposed to be nice tomorrow,” she said. “Why don’t we go to the park?”

* * *

Tetsuya arrived at the park in the afternoon, feeling a bit nervous. At least whatever anxiety he had for himself was overshadowed by his concern for Airi, if that was even a positive factor. Whenever they had made their plans yesterday, she had insisted on being able to make it to the park on her own. Tetsuya had protested at first, but had lost disagreement, the first technical “argument” of the relationship.

Just thinking about the word made Tetsuya smile. It had been sudden, but it was worth it. His own priorities had been set on doing something nice for Airi, making her happy, providing a distraction from the argument with Youta. If he had known that a date to the park would have been enough to do that, Tetsuya wouldn’t have hesitated to confess.

None of that mattered now, and Tetsuya focused on finding Airi. Part of him was worried that she had gotten lost on the way, and he dreaded the thought of having to search for her whenever he was supposed to be helping her relax. Fortunately, Tetsuya found the girl sitting on one of the benches by the fountain, just like she had promised.

“Watanabe-san,” he called out. Airi turned her head toward him, smiling. Tetsuya held out his hand once he was beside his girlfriend and helped her up. “I’m glad to see that you made it safely. Have you been waiting long?”

“No, not at all. I almost mad a few mishaps, but I was able to ask directions from people passing by, so I made it here alright,” Airi reported. She giggled, covering her mouth with the hand that wasn’t holding Tetsuya’s. “Don’t you think that it’s a bit informal to be calling me ‘Watanabe-san,’ Tetsuya-kun?”

Tetsuya blinked at the words, and Airi laughed again, this time letting the sound out. She always seemed to take note of when he was surprised, but who could blame him for being that way in this situation? Airi had easily crossed the barrier into given name referral, but Tetsuya was still hesitant to take the step. While he wanted to—and her wording suggested she did, too—he still had yet to convince himself.

“Oh, and who’s this that you brought with you?” Airi asked, leaning down. She held out her hand, letting the Alaskan malamute puppy beside her touch his nose to it. The dog had grown a lot since Tetsuya and the rest of Seirin had taken him in, but his head was still at Airi’s chest level when she crouched down. The malamute finished, ducking his head so that the girl would pet him, and Airi complied. “Aren’t you just nice and soft? What’s your name?”

“His name is Nigou,” Tetsuya answered. He leaned down, running his hand down the dog’s back. Nigou barked in response, seeming to enjoy the attention. He liked Airi so far, which was a great relief to his owner. Tetsuya had been worried over nothing.

“Nigou?”

The question was a natural one, so Tetsuya couldn’t fault Airi for asking it. She was focusing most of her attention on him, but continued to pet the dog in question. “Well, it’s short for Tetsuya No. 2,” he admitted. “The other club members decided that he looked like me, so I was his namesake. I guess our eyes do look kind of similar. He’s a good dog, though.”

Airi put both of her hands on the sides of Nigou’s head, holding it in place. Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly, and Tetsuya kept silent. Airi almost seemed like she was pouting whenever she got lost in thought. If anything, she was probably trying to create a mental image of Nigou to add into her collection. Whenever she was done, she let go and Nigou shook his head, glad to be given permission to move again.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Nigou,” Airi said, giving the dog another pat on the head. It seemed as if she and Nigou would get along well.

“Nigou, this is Watana—ah, this is Airi-san,” Tetsuya said, completing introductions. Airi jumped a little in surprise at the sound of her given name, then smiled. “She can’t see very well, so it might take her some time to get used to having you around. She’s my girlfriend, so be on your best behavior, understand?”

Nigou barked in response. Tetsuya took a moment to enjoy the way the word “girlfriend” sounded on his lips, and the pink color that it turned Airi’s cheeks. Using her given name wasn’t half bad either. She stood up, dusting off her skirt. “Well, I’m sure that Nigou doesn’t want to just sit around all day, not when there’s this huge park waiting around. Shall we go, Tetsuya-kun?”

Tetsuya nodded, standing back up. He secured Nigou’s leash in one hand, then Airi’s hand in the other. Nigou remained sitting, but was keeping an eye on Tetsuya. “You never did tell me what we were coming here for, Airi-san. What did you want to do?” Even though the date had initially been his proposal, Airi had taken the reigns for the rest of the planning. No matter what ideas she had, she had kept them secret, too.

“I want to see this place,” Airi answered without hesitation. “I really like places that have a lot of scenery, because there’s so much to look at. Whenever I go parks and such, I just have a whole new world to map out in my imagination.” She let out a happy sigh. “I just haven’t had the chance to go to this place yet, and I wanted you to be the one to show it to me, Tetsuya-kun.”

In other words, she was trusting him with her sight. Tetsuya had started to take on the role of her eyes, but that had been in places like the school and her home, which had already been described to her. He hadn’t needed to bring the world to life, and thus had no experience in it. And yet, the sound of her voice let Tetsuya know that Airi believed he could do it.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “What do I have to do?”

Airi giggled, stepping a bit closer to him. “I can’t tell you how to do it, silly; that’s cheating,” she reprimanded. It was all fine because she was still smiling at him “I want to see the world the same way you do, notice what you notice, care about what you care about for a moment.” She paused. “Everyone perceives things in their own special way, Tetsuya-kun. Isn’t getting a glimpse of another person’s view of the world able to be a wonderful experience?”

Everyone possessed their own unique view of the world. If anything, that was what made people so different, made it interesting to talk to them, made it difficult to always see eye to eye. If you invited people into your world view for an instant, wouldn’t be easier to understand them, at least a little? If he had known that before, tried to see things the same way that the rest of his friends had back in middle school—

No, that was over now. That conflict had already passed and there was no need to ruminate on it any longer, not when he had Airi by his side. “Does that mean that you’ll let me see the world the same way that you do?” Tetsuya asked. This time, he didn’t think twice before he said the world.

Airi let out a laugh, smiling. “Oh, alright, since you asked so nicely. But only if I can go after you. I did ask first, after all.”

“Alright, then.” Tetsuya looked around the rest of the park, trying not to think too hard about it. If she wanted to see things the way that he did, then he couldn’t go off listing every single thing. He needed to clear out his head, see what he naturally took notice of, and describe it from there. It should have been easy, but he was making it difficult. He opened his mouth for the sake of not thinking anymore.

“There’s a fountain on the other side of the plaza, and a few kids are making wishes by throwing in coins. Their parents are probably resting on the side. There’s actually a lot of families here today, which is nice to see. And… there’s this girl,” Tetsuya said without thinking. Airi tilted her head at the words, slightly frowning. Tetsuya chuckled. “She seems a bit annoyed at her boyfriend right now, but I think it’ll be okay.” He placed a quick kiss on Airi’s forehead, the frown replaced with a blush. “Right?”

“Okay, you got me there. Now it’s my turn,” she said. “Close your eyes.” Tetsuya complied, reminding himself that this was what Airi always saw. Maybe this would be it, and she wouldn’t say anything else. Her silence didn’t help the thought, and Tetsuya was about to open his eyes again when Airi took a deep breath.

“The sunlight’s nice and warm,” she started out. “There’s a lot of chatter of people, but there’s no so many that’s it’s overwhelming or anything. There’s a nice breeze, too. I can smell some food people are carrying. I think that it’s crepes.”

It was almost funny. Which each thing that Airi said, Tetsuya noticed it more. She was pulling from all of her senses, noticing the world that way. And even though she hadn’t been describing things from visual cues, Tetsuya could still _see_ it in a way that had nothing to do with the image that had previously been on the back of his eyelids.

“And most importantly,” Airi added, while he was still trying to take it all in, “beside me is Tetsuya.”

* * *

“Let’s see, your white patches are here, here, and here, right?” Airi said. She was leaning down in her doorway, feeling over Nigou’s fur. Earlier, she had been told about his fur pattern, and was trying to see if she still remembered it. The puppy was a bit tired out from running around all day, so didn’t protest.

“That’s right,” Tetsuya confirmed, reasserting her mental image of Nigou. Airi smiled, but at more than just her victory. Today had been such a nice, relaxing time that it had made the rest of her worries wash away. Tetsuya had gone through the trouble of explaining whatever she had asked about, creating most of the park a place in her head. She could only hope that the images he had created for her would stick around.

“Didn’t you say that you needed to be home soon, Tetsuya-kun? It is getting a bit late.” Sure enough, Tetsuya shifted, letting Airi know her suspicions were correct. She didn’t like the idea of him having to leave, but she had taken up enough of his time already in the past few weeks. Even if they were dating now, it wasn’t an excuse.

“Will you be okay if I leave?” Tetsuya asked. Normally, those kinds of words would have made Airi question her independence, but they didn’t when he was the one saying them. All it meant was that he was concerned for her. “Do you need to go shopping for dinner or anything? I can take you to the store before I leave.”

If Airi used her eyes, she would have rolled them. “Heavens, no, we bought plenty when we went shopping yesterday.” That had taken up a substantial amount of time, too, as Tetsuya had gone through the trouble of helping her make the foods recognizable to her. “You really should eat dinner with your family for once, Tetsuya-kun. I’ll be fine.”

She wouldn’t have been surprised if the boy were to invite her over to dinner the next moment, but he didn’t. Airi probably would have turned him down, too. She wasn’t about ready to meet Tetsuya’s parents yet, even if she was sure they were nice. Besides, if Youta came home, she needed to be there to catch him.

“I guess you’re right,” Tetsuya admitted. He sounded a bit sad, but seemed to understand the reasons, or at least respected the result. “Come on, Nigou.” The dog looked up at the sound of his name and followed Tetsuya’s retreating footsteps. Airi headed towards the doorway after them. “I’ll see you in the morning before school, okay, Airi-san?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Tetsuya-kun. And I’m sure I’ll see you later, Nigou-chan,” she added, giving the puppy one last pet before Tetsuya put a leash on his dog counterpart. Airi waited a bit, and gave Tetsuya a kiss on the cheek, which he reciprocated with a kiss on the forehead. She decided to imagine he had been blushing when he left the house.

Mentioning dinner had made her hungry, though. Airi went to change out of her date clothes, and wandered back into the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for her own dinner. She was in the middle of sorting through the refrigerator when an unfamiliar noise came from behind her, causing Airi to jump.

She had forgotten that she had left her purse on the table when she had arrived home. It hadn’t been entirely necessary, as Tetsuya had insisted on paying for everything, but at one point they had been running around, playing with Nigou, and Tetsuya had asked to put his phone inside for safekeeping. Sure enough, Airi encountered it once she checked her purse, the phone forgotten.

_He may not need it, but if someone’s messaging him, then I’m sure he’d like to see it,_ Airi considered. _Besides, he usually calls the house in the morning. I’m sure it won’t be too much of a hassle if he can’t but still…_

Tetsuya had only left a while ago, so he couldn’t have gotten too far. And even if he had, Airi was confident she remembered the way to his house, even if she had only passed by a few times. It was just so he wouldn’t be inconvenienced, after all, nothing else.

Airi locked the door behind her, clutching Tetsuya’s cellphone in her hand.


	11. Chapter 11: Endurance

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 11: Endurance

* * *

One Week Prior

* * *

Youta left the house, slamming the door behind him. He hadn’t done anything like that since his childhood, and then had stopped since Airi didn’t like loud noises. The fact that her hearing was becoming more and more sensitive when she stopped using her eyes had only discouraged the action more. The older Watanabe twin stood just outside the door for a while, not daring to take a step away, the energy drained from his legs.

It would be so easy to just turn around, open the door again, and go back inside. He could apologize, make up for what had happened. No one could stop him; it was his house after all, and Airi was his _sister_. He couldn’t just leave her behind, not try and apologize whenever she needed him right now, had always needed him.

Except she didn’t. Youta wasn’t necessary anymore. _Kuroko-san’s been making sure I’ve been getting home safe._ Airi hadn’t been useless without him, and Youta hadn’t expected her to be. He knew that she desired to be independent, and so he had helped her in every way possible. He had made sure she fine-tuned her senses and helped her practice making mental maps of places. She only needed him to describe things and keep track of her handwriting for homework. He took on the extra job of watching her back without making it obvious, and that had been just fine with him.

Youta had known she would be able to survive a few days without him, even if he didn’t like it. The teachers knew about her eyesight, so they would have assigned someone to look over her, or even taken volunteers. Youta had been imagining that it was the class rep taking care of his sister this whole time. The confidence that she would be safe was the only reason he had been able to avoid answering the phone when she called, could delete her voicemails without listening to them.

But now he wasn’t so sure. From the sounds of it, Kuroko had been the one to help her, and she had trusted him completely. Airi probably didn’t notice it, but there was a certain softness in her voice when she said the blue-haired boy’s name. Youta thought he had just been imagining things before the charity game, but now he knew that wasn’t the case.

_So what am I good for now? She has someone else to help her. I tried to fix things, and she yelled at me. I thought I would be doing something she’d want… Have I really been a bad older brother after all?_

That thought was enough, and Youta pushed himself off the door. He didn’t even think about going back inside. Even if he wanted to apologize, Tetsuya would already be comforting Airi, and she would let him. There was no point in seeing something like that if he couldn’t even help in the end.

For a while, he wandered the streets, getting lost in the city that was supposed to be his new home. He had been aching to get back to it, working to make negotiations flow and get back home as quickly as possible. Now he didn’t feel like he belonged, and it wasn’t as if he could afford a train ride all the way back to Sendai, a pointless endeavor, since that place wasn’t _home_ either.

Well, he _could_ afford it, except that wasn’t what that money had been for. That, and the entire stack of bills had been left behind, still sitting on the kitchen table, awaiting a happy reunion. Youta doubted that Airi would do anything with it, but he still would need to go back sooner or later to retrieve it.

He would have to go back while she was at school. That was the only way. Youta let out an audible sigh, and stopped walking at an unfamiliar intersection. He would have to fix things as soon as possible. Then maybe things would somehow go back to normal. That was all he dared to hope for.

This time, he didn’t need the business card to call the number, locating the name in his contacts.

“_Ah, Youta-kun,_” the voice on the line answered. “_I didn’t expect you to be calling again so soon. Don’t tell me you have another favor to ask already._” It wasn’t mocking. It was just bored. It sounded genuinely surprised that Youta could possibly be that _stupid_ for dialing this number a second time.

He certainly felt it.

“Sorry to inconvenience you, Hayashi-san,” Youta said. “Is there a chance I could arrange another meeting sometime soon? And possibly have a room for the night?” It would have been safer to stay at home, more hospitable, even with Airi’s disappointment. The moment the request left his mouth, Youta knew it was too late to stop it.

Hayashi chuckled. “_My, what is it with the youth these days? So eager to get into trouble._” There was the sound of muffled conversation for a few moments, and Youta waited. “_Well, if that’s what you really want, you already know which station to go to. Just know that I’m not free to meet until Sunday, so it’ll be a while until we can discuss things, Youta-kun._”

And just like that, Hayashi hung up before Youta could give an answer. Not that it was necessary. The signal changed, and people hurried across the crosswalk, leaving the teenager behind. He took a moment to get his bearings, and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

Having a full two weeks off from school wasn’t supposed to be this stressful, but Youta really only had himself to blame for that one. Sure, he had been sitting around most of the time, put up in hotels he couldn’t imagine affording on his own, but the underlying tones were a lot more difficult, making it impossible to relax. The first week he had been worrying about the loan getting approved, and the second week he had to worry about getting into a meeting with enough time to be able to pay back the interest.

The loan itself hadn’t exactly been legal. Sure, the agency was a well-established business and had all their permits displayed in the walls of the lobby Youta had first gone to. But Hayashi… Hayashi was something else, a hidden crack in the system that no one seemed to have noticed was there.

She hadn’t hesitated in giving the money to Youta, even though he wasn’t eighteen. Hayashi had taken a look at the Watanabe family’s financial situation, make some checks on the standing of his parents’ assets, and smiled while she told Youta just where he could pick up the money. Youta may not have known much about how loans worked beyond signatures, interests, and repayment, but he had the feeling that everything Hayashi was doing for him was illegal.

He was fully aware that he should have just walked away. He should have taken the train back and met up with Airi at the hotel, and everything would have been the same, everything would have been safe. The only problem with that was that everything _would have been the same_, and Youta didn’t think he could stand for that.

Every moment he hesitated was another moment where Airi got closer to never being able to see again.

Now, standing in Hayashi’s private meeting room (office didn’t seem right, considering the lack of a desk and the presence of several potentially harmful displays of weaponry on the walls), each moment was completely different. The longer this took, the less time Youta had to prove to Airi that he had listened to her. The less time he had to make it up.

Normalcy had never seemed so appealing before.

“So I understand that you want to return the money that you borrowed from us,” Hayashi said, a smile on her lips as she tossed a glance at the bag on the table. The zipper was open, the money showing from inside. Youta was more concerned with how Hayashi could appear to be so awake considering that the sun hadn’t even risen yet, and on a _Sunday_ at that. The teenager was battling the urge to yawn every second. “Did you not get approved for that surgery, even with solid cash? That’s too cruel, just what has this world come to.”

“No, it wasn’t anything like that,” Youta said. Hayashi raised an inquiring eyebrow but didn’t actually pry. “There just isn’t a need for us to have this anymore. So I’d like to return it to you so that someone else can take it if they need it.” It was a paltry offer, considering that the money would all cycle back to Hayashi’s company is due time, but Youta didn’t know what else to say at a time like this.

Hayashi chuckled, pushing a bit of her bangs out of her face. It was unsettling to know that a person that looked to nice could be involved with things like this. “So it looks like you do have a head on your shoulders after all, Youta-kun. I know plenty of people that would end up spending money like that on plenty of other things they don’t need. You at least recognize that if you spend money like this on something other than what we lent it to you for, that may result in something…unfavorable.”

Youta flinched a little. He wondered how many people had been tricked, had used false reasons to sign off their loans on. This agency happened to employ one of the most effective debt collectors in Japan, and they tended not to take no for an answer. He had been lucky.

Hayashi seemed amused by his reaction, her smile only widening. “Well, putting that aside, let’s get down to the business end of things, Youta-kun.” She sat up straight, crossing her legs and resting her hands on top on them. “I’m going to trust that you’ve returned all of the money we gave you in cash. My men will count it up later to make sure of it. The only thing you need to worry about will be the balance we give you from your interest, alright?”

It took everything Youta had to detach his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “I understand,” he said. He had been worrying so much. It felt like a dream that it was this easy, but he wasn’t about to complain. “Thank you for all of your help, Hayashi-san.” Out of habit, Youta dipped his head down, completing the bow while still sitting.

“No, no, thank you for your business, Youta-kun.” Hayashi stood up, and Youta locked eyes with her to avoid her intentionally too-short business skirt. “I trust that you’re quite tired, right? How about you let my men calculate your balance and then they can give you a ride back home. We wouldn’t want you falling asleep on such a long train ride, would we?”

“Um, thank you again.” Youta stood up, one of his yawns breaking through. He didn’t want to trouble anyone with the drive it would take to get back, but maybe it was better than a train. At least if it was with Hayashi’s employees, he wouldn’t have to worry about being left behind or harassed. Not that he was carrying anything too valuable on him anyways. “I’d be glad for the ride, if you’re sure about it.”

“Oh, really, Youta-kun, it’s no trouble at all.”

In hindsight, Youta wished that he hadn’t been so tired. Maybe he would have thought a little bit more about just how much Hayashi seemed like a predator whenever her eyes narrowed as she smiled.

* * *

He slept most of the car ride back. It was early evening by the time they made it back into the city, just barely avoiding traffic. Youta hadn’t really considered the miles, but he felt like maybe Hayashi’s drivers had possibly broken the speed limit more than once to get there in time, but he wasn’t about to complain. After all, he was almost home. As long as he saved his allowance and maybe got a job, paying off the interest should have been easy.

Youta sat up, catching a look of himself in the rearview mirror. His hair was a mess and there was an imprint of the car seat on his face. Despite that, he looked happy, and the bubble of relief in his stomach was a sure accompaniment to that. He was fine, and Airi would be, too. Somehow, it would be fine, so long as they talked when he got home.

“The kid’s awake,” the man in the driver’s seat commented. Youta waved at the other man in the passenger seat that looked back at the words. “Give him his balance so we can finalize his terms out.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” the passenger said. Youta waited in silence, not wanting to overstep his role. He was lucky enough to have had his meeting with Hayashi go well, and she liked him. It was best to just be passive until he was dropped off. “Here you go, Watanabe. Straight from the Boss.”

“Thank you,” Youta said, just because he didn’t like the silence. The sound of the motor running was the only other noise he got in response. At least the view in the windows was increasingly close to home. Figuring that he wouldn’t be able to get out until he at least looked at the contents of the envelope, Youta took it, opening it from the side.

It was a familiar form to him, identical to the one that he had received after the initial deal with Hayashi. The top detailed the basic terms—what the money was owed for, how the interest policy worked, the minimum amount of money and how often the payments would be due. It was the same as it had been before, except the total number owed was far smaller than it had been before.

And yet it was with that number that Youta found a problem.

“Hey, this is wrong.” The man in the passenger seat looked back, eyebrows raised. “This is way more than I owe. Hayashi-san must have given me the wrong form.” After all, he had done the math while he was waiting, and the interest shouldn’t have been that high. Hayashi was shady, sure, but she gave the impression of someone who didn’t need to use dirty tricks to get what she wanted.

“Listen, Kid, the Boss doesn’t make mistakes,” the man on the passenger side said, one arm slung over the back of his seat. “That piece of paper has your name on it, right?” Looking back down, Youta could see the characters of his name marked near the top. Attempting to swallow the lump in his throat, he nodded. “Then that’s yours, no questions asked.”

“Then where the hell did the rest of this money come from?!” Youta couldn’t stop himself from shouting if he had tried. “I know I incurred interest, but it wasn’t this much!” He gripped harder onto the paper, destroying the smooth surface. It was better than punching one of Hayashi’s employees after all.

“You were housed for a good two weeks, right, Watanabe?” This time, it was the driver that spoke. Youta didn’t need the explanation—his blood was cold enough already—but the driver continued, “Hayashi-sama knew that you couldn’t afford that sort of thing on your own. So as a show of good faith in you for following the terms of your agreement, she decided to lend you the money and let you return it in time.”

Youta slumped back into the seat, not bothering to let go of the paper. He hadn’t thought anything of the places he had been staying. He had thought that Hayashi was being generous because of the trip he had to take. He had been put up in five-star hotels for _two weeks_ and was only considering how to pay for it now.

_Dammit. I screwed up._

“I… I can’t afford this…” he whispered. Sure, he would have been able to pay off the interest, but this was a different matter entirely. He and Airi could live without his half of allowance for a month, maybe two? But it would take even longer than that—four months? Half a year? Two years?—and at some point his parents and Airi would catch on. At this rate, he’d be in debt for the rest of his life.

The driver pulled to a stop, even though they weren’t at the house yet. Youta looked around. The doors weren’t locked. If he was lucky, then maybe he could get out the door, run away. If he went far enough, maybe they’d at least leave Airi alone.

_Ai-chan—_

Youta could have sworn that his heart stopped. Standing on the other side of the street was Airi, out on her own for whatever reason. She had stopped, probably having heard the car and not wanting to cross until she was sure it was safe. Youta was grateful for that much, but he really wished she would just _leave_, because if she didn’t, this whole scenario could end horribly.

Not that it wasn’t already bad enough as it was.

Youta made sure to tear his eyes away from his sister. Maybe they wouldn’t notice her if he didn’t acknowledge her presence. The real best thing to do in a situation like this would be to pretend that he didn’t care what happened to her, but he’d never be able to make it convincing. The fact that he had risked everything to get money for her surgery was enough to prove that.

Youta closed his eyes. _Just get going Ai-chan,_ he prayed. _Please just get going. Everything will be just fine if you do. If you cross the street they won’t think twice about it._ Airi didn’t move. Whatever nonsense ideas others had about twin telepathy obviously weren’t real. _Ai-chan, _please_, why don’t you move!_

“Hey, Kid, is that your sister?” one of the men asked. Youta was too distraught to figure out which one had spoken.

“No,” he said, his voice an octave too high to be convincing.

“I think it is,” the other man said. “Yeah, she matches the description that the Boss gave us perfectly.” The passenger door opened. “You keep the kid in check. I’ll go pick her up.”

“Hey, wait—!” Youta protested, only to have the driver’s hand at his throat the next instant. His head hit against the window on the driver’s side, probably bruising the skin. The door shut the next instant as the employee that had left the car approached Airi. She seemed confused, tried to struggle, but couldn’t get away as the man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards the car.

The driver clicked his tongue, and the sound almost seemed to be filled with pity. “You really should have kept your mouth shut, Kid,” he said, even if Youta was only half comprehending the words. “If you hadn’t started going on about not being able to afford this, we wouldn’t have needed to collect collateral.”

_Collateral._ And Hayashi had told her employees what Airi looked like… She had planned this. She had known. No wonder she seemed so satisfied by a near non-profitable deal. And Youta had played into it, not even realized what had been happening as she laid her trap.

Airi was shoved into the backseat, almost falling over onto Youta. She managed to keep her balance. Only once the doors were locked did the driver let go of Youta’s throat, and the boy gasped, trying to reestablish a flow of oxygen to his lungs. The car was in motion as soon as the passenger returned to his seat, and Airi’s head tilted up in Youta’s direction.

“Nii-san?”

_I screwed up. I’m sorry. I screwed up. I’m so, _so_ sorry, Ai-chan._

Even if the words were at the back of his mind, Youta couldn’t make himself say them. His mouth refused to function, his vocal cords not even producing the slightest bit of vibration. Ever trusting—and somehow not panicking—Airi reached her hands up to Youta’s face, fingers brushing over his skin, mouth, nose, ears, and finally down to his neck where her thumb brushed against a mole. She stopped here, but didn’t let go.

“Nii-san, what’s going on? Are you alright? Say something.”

There was no way to explain it, at least not one that could possibly make up for the trouble he had gotten them in. Even if Youta told the truth, there was no guarantee that Airi would believe him. All he could do was stare at her, unable to find a way to fix this. Even if he went for the cell phone in his pocket, Youta was sure that Hayashi’s men could easily find ways to make him not call the police—verbal or otherwise.

“Sorry, Ojou-chan, but your brother here just dug himself a hole that he’s not gonna be able to get out of anytime soon,” the driver said. Airi’s head turned to the man out of habit, but Youta could only watch her. He couldn’t even protest because the driver was right. “You see, when he found out he was in debt, this idiot basically said he couldn’t pay us. We don’t want to, but we’ve got orders and—”

“How dare you,” Airi said, and Youta was shocked to find that she wasn’t talking to him. “Don’t you have better ways of dealing with this?” The volume of her voice was rising, and Youta didn’t think Airi had ever let herself get this angry before. “I know he’s made some mistakes, but that doesn’t give you the right to _insult_ him, to hurt him through me, just because you can’t be _civil_—!”

Airi was leaning closer to the front of the car, supporting herself off the back of the seat. Youta reached out to take her arm and pull her back, instead catching her when the man in the passenger seat forcefully shoved her back. “Listen here, you little bitch—”

That was all it took.

Youta managed to pull back him arm far enough to deliver a punch to the man’s face, and Airi let out a small gasp as his head hit the glass. She didn’t, however, stop him, although Youta wasn’t sure it would have mattered if she did try. This was different from what Sakamoto and Miura had done. They were just bullies. These people meant to hurt her.

“Try and say that again, you bastard!” Youta shouted, almost propelling himself out of the back seat. Without thinking, his hands went for the wheel, attempting to pull the driver’s grip away. “Stop the damn car! Just call Hayashi-san and I’ll tell her what a shit job you assholes are up to! Jesus, can’t even make a fucking reasonable—!”

And just like that, the air was gone from his lungs, there was the sound of shattering glass, Airi let out a soft scream, and Youta felt the driver’s seat dig into his stomach before losing consciousness.


	12. Chapter 12: Apprehension

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 12: Apprehension

* * *

Tetsuya was a bit tense the next morning. Airi hadn’t answered the door when he stopped by earlier to pick her up for school, and they door had been locked. He hadn’t been able to call inside, either, since he had left his cellphone behind. There was the chance that she had slept in, but couldn’t help but worry. If she was sick, how was he supposed to get in to help her?

He tried not to let his worry show, though. After all, he could just be worrying over nothing. That was what couples ended up doing after all.

Kagami gave him a concerned look upon entering the classroom, but came in almost seconds before the bell rang. Fortunately, the teacher bustled in a bit after that, saving the redhead from a scolding. There was still no sign of Airi, and Tetsuya wondered if he should move back to his usual desk instead of occupying Youta’s.

“Good morning class,” Hara-sensei said. He was frowning, and Tetsuya noticed that his eyes flitted about the room, not establishing any contact. Tetsuya frowned himself, knowing that there was bad news coming before anyone else even picked up on it. “I’m afraid that I have bad news. I just received a call that Watanabe-san was taken to the hospital yesterday after a car accident.”

Tetsuya lost his breath in a soft gasp. He had been prepared, but not for this. How had it even happened? He had made sure that Airi had made it home safe last night, that was for sure. Had someone crashed into the house? Most importantly, _how bad is it?_

“…Are there any volunteers to go visit her after school today?”

Tetsuya caught onto the words, his hand shooting up into the air as soon as he remembered how to move it. “I’ll go,” he said, voice more breath than actual sound. There were a few murmurs behind him, but Hara didn’t look surprised. The sensei nodded once, then looked to the back of the classroom.

“I’ll go, too,” Kagami said. If Tetsuya’s action caused whispers, then Kagami’s volume produced far more than that. One would have thought that after a few months, their classmates would understand the duo a little better, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Tetsuya had to wonder why Kagami was volunteering, though. While it was true that he interacted with the twins, Tetsuya had been closer. Maybe something had happened during Airi’s cooking lesson that Tetsuya had missed. Regardless, Kagami was probably providing support to a friend, and Tetsuya was glad that the redhead had chosen to come.

“Alright, then, Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun will visit Watanabe-san,” Hara said, nodding in approval. “You two just talk with me after class and I’ll tell you what hospital she’s at.” It was probably a good thing he didn’t say it now; this was the first time Tetsuya had ever considered skipping out on school. “That being said, we do need to focus. I’ll take roll, and then we’ll get started on today’s lesson…”

* * *

Youta sat outside of Airi’s hospital room, feeling like shit for the twentieth hour straight. He wasn’t hurt too badly—just a bruise on the side of his head where he had slammed into some part of the car or the other, and some cuts from where the passenger’s side windows had collapsed in, glass spraying everywhere. He had needed some bandages and to stay overnight to make sure he didn’t have a concussion. Hayashi’s men had both gotten off with minimal injuries, too, and they had already left.

Youta was probably in a worse situation than he had been in before, but none of that mattered.

Because Airi—

He had been discharged that morning, but he hadn’t left the hospital. He just couldn’t take the idea of leaving Airi alone, even if he had only gone inside once, while she was sleeping. The nurse had told him when his sister woke up, but Youta hadn’t been able to muster the courage to go inside and see her.

_Surely she must hate me by now._

_Surely she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore._

He had called the school, let them know what was going on. He told his homeroom teacher where he had been for the past few weeks. Hara had hung up because he needed to teach his class, but at best, Youta was going to be suspended. He wouldn’t be surprised if Seirin expelled him.

It was pathetic. He had come all this way to help Airi, to protect her. He couldn’t even manage to do that properly. He had abandoned her for a while. He had gotten her hurt worse than he had been, and she would be in the hospital for who knew how long. Even when she got out, he wouldn’t be there to help her at school. Youta had effectively rendered himself worthless.

It was worse than when Youta had come away from his eye infection unscathed, only to find out that Airi was going to go blind. This time, he could have actually done something to stop it.

_At least she has Kuroko now._ The thought was more comforting than it should have been. A few months ago, Youta would have protested to anyone else taking care of his sister. As it was, the quiet boy was probably better for Airi anyway. Tetsuya didn’t get into debt and cause car crashes. He didn’t hurt Airi.

“Watanabe-kun.”

Sure enough, Tetsuya was there, holding a vase of flowers. Kagami was standing behind him. Hara must have told the class, but how much? Tetsuya still looked like he trusted Youta, so it couldn’t be to deep of details. He didn’t know. Youta wished he did. Airi would never hate her brother. Other people needed to know so he could get what he deserved.

“Just go and see her,” Youta muttered. _At least she’ll want to see you._ That was enough for the blue haired boy to race into the room, nearly spilling the vase as he went. Kagami stayed in the hall, his eyes burning a hole in the wall above Youta’s head.

The redhead didn’t say anything, so Youta didn’t either. He just stayed seated, back bent, head hanging down. Kagami had probably only come so that Tetsuya wouldn’t have to travel alone, and he probably wouldn’t actually visit Airi either. Youta wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed by that, but he wouldn’t have had the energy to express it if he was.

Just how close had Tetsuya gotten to Airi anyway? Close enough to be her eyes, but that was only a practical way to look at it…

Kagami made a sound between a word and a cough, dislodging Youta from his thoughts. The redhead seemed to make several attempts at forming a sentence, until he gave up, a sound of frustration emerging from his mouth. Youta finally looked up, only to find Kagami looking at him, making a face between a scowl and someone trying to hold their breath.

“I give up, this is too much of a pain to keep calm at,” Kagami muttered before raising his voice to a normal speaking volume. “Come on, Watanabe, let’s go for a walk.”

Youta wouldn’t have believed Kagami was talking to him if it weren’t for the use of his name. “What for?” he asked. He was reluctant to get up from his seat; even if he hadn’t visited Airi all day, he wasn’t just going to not stay by her side. The bathroom down the hall was the farthest Youta was willing to go from his sister, and that was more for practical reasons than anything. Even if they hadn’t spoken properly for weeks, Airi would surely know that Youta was always there for her.

Wouldn’t she?

“Because,” Kagami said, and there was an obvious strain in his voice, “I need to talk to you, but I’m not going to be able to do it without yelling at you. I’d rather not get thrown out of the hospital, plus Kuroko would panic if he heard. I’m sure your sister would worry, too.” That seemed to be all he was willing to say, and the basketball player’s lips stayed shut.

Normally, Youta would have put up more of a fight. He wouldn’t have given up any ground, potential of a shouting match or no. Airi might need him, and there was no way they would be separated for what anyone else wanted. Besides, who would willingly walk into a situation where they would be yelled at anyway?

Except now, Airi had Tetsuya with her.

And now, Youta felt like he deserved it. He could only beat himself up so much after all. No matter what, Airi wouldn’t blame him. Or maybe she would, but Youta didn’t think it was likely. Just in case, he needed someone else to do it, to bring it home. Before he could change his mind, Youta stood up.

“Alright,” he agreed. “You lead the way.”

Kagami grunted, turning down the hall without another word. Youta followed in his footsteps, digging what he could of his nails into his palms. He had given up on caring about where he was going. Even his concern with Airi seemed misplaced, like it didn’t deserve to be there after everything that had happened.

Kagami lead him to the roof, where the door was thankfully unlocked. The outside managed to be even brighter than the almost sterile white walls of the hospital, sunlight and clouds and blue sky assaulting Youta’s eyes. There was a slight breeze, warm and carrying promises of an early summer. It was unfair, how the rest of the world was fine whenever Youta wasn’t.

“Just what the hell were you thinking?” Kagami said, not turning around. He wasn’t quite at a yelling volume, but his voice carried enough strength to make Youta recoil against the door he had just walked through. “You went on and on about protecting your sister, but you’re the one that ended up hurting her. And for what? Some extra money?”

“I didn’t want it to happen!” Youta protested. “I only wanted to help her! I wanted to let her see again so she could do everything she should be allowed to do! I didn’t… I didn’t want… I didn’t think…”

“Of course you didn’t think!” Kagami turned around, and Youta could see the redhead’s anger. His fists were balled, his teeth were bared, and there was something animalistic in his eyes. It made Youta’s knees shake. “I don’t know Watanabe as well as Kuroko does, but even I can tell that she didn’t care about seeing again. Did you even ask her before you went and did this?!”

“I didn’t,” Youta admitted, looking down. He wondered if Kagami would punch him. “I didn’t ask at all because I thought she would want it. I didn’t see that she was happy without her eyes…” He looked back up, staring Kagami in the eyes. “I screwed up. I screwed up bad. I shouldn’t have been such an idiot. So what I should really do is whatever it takes to keep Airi happy…in the way she wants it.”

Youta took several deep breaths, waiting for Kagami’s response. Part of him still wanted to be hit, even if it wouldn’t change anything. It would make him feel better to get beat up, to be in worse shape than Airi was, even if that wasn’t really possible. _Selfish._ He hadn’t really changed at all.

Kagami’s shoulders dropped down, the tension leaving them. He sighed, looking off into a different direction. “Man, I guess there’s nothing else I can tell you that you don’t know yourself,” he said. “But really…

“…you shouldn’t say strong words like that when you’re crying like an idiot.”

* * *

Airi sat back in her hospital bed, not able to do much else. Watching TV had always been out of the question, and none of the nurses that had stopped by seemed to know if there was any braille in the hospital aside from the number plates on doors. The only option that seemed to be left was to sleep, but she couldn’t. She had slept enough already, and that had only been due to the shock driving her unconscious.

Even if she did get tired, Airi knew she would be too worried to even get a proper rest.

She had tried asking the nurses what had happened to Youta, and had only gotten mixed results. Some of the nurses mentioned that he was also being taken care of, and others didn’t seem to have any clue who she was talking about. To make matters worse, no one was willing to give her information on his condition. They were probably just trying to reduce her stress by not saying anything, but that most likely meant that it was bad.

Part of her was ready to get up and start searching for him. She had been hurt, but she could still walk, and navigating a hospital wasn’t that difficult. The only things stopping her were that she didn’t know where Youta was and that someone would take her back to her room before she could make any progress at all.

The door opened, but it wasn’t a member of the hospital staff. They always said something when they entered, but it was silent. Airi sat up a bit too fast, causing her head to pound in retaliation. She didn’t care. “Nii-san?” she asked, hopeful.

“No,” she said. The footsteps made it obvious. Even if he was hurt, Youta wouldn’t walk like that. Laughing softly, Airi chided herself. She should have known. She had been the one to comment on his presence in the first place. “I’m sorry, Tetsuya-kun, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“It’s fine,” Tetsuya answered, his voice quiet. The sound of his footsteps stopped by the bedside, and Airi reached out a hand. Tetsuya took it, and there was the sound of something being set down on her bedside table. “Our class pulled together money to get you some flowers. Some of them didn’t see the point, but I knew you would want them anyway.”

Airi smiled a bit, even if she was a bit disappointed. After all this time, her classmates still couldn’t figure it out. Keeping her hand still connected to Tetsuya, she used her free one to find the vase, fingers brushing against the petals. “They smell lovely,” she complimented. The scent of the hospital wasn’t too oppressive, but it made for a nice change. “How much do you know about what happened, Tetsuya-kun?”

Tetsuya flinched; she felt it through his hand almost as much as she sensed it. Even so, he faced her when he spoke. “Not too much, just that there was a car accident. Is there more to it than that?”

Airi paused. She probably knew about as much about the current situation as Tetsuya, but she could still guess. If she was wrong, she could ask Youta for clarification later. “I can’t say I understand everything perfectly, but, I have an idea of what all happened. Would you listen to me?”

Tetsuya nodded. “Of course.”

Airi took a deep breath and settled back into the pillows. She kept her hands with Tetsuya’s. “Whenever Nii-san brought that money home, I think he took a loan so I could have the surgery,” she started. “After our date, you left your cell phone behind, so I went out to return it to you. Except I ended up being grabbed by some men and shoved into a car.”

Tetsuya’s fingers immediately tightened. Airi wasn’t sure if he was angry or startled. “Nii-san was there, too. I think those men were from his loan agency, but it’s just a guess… Nii-san tried to stop them and we got hit because they weren’t paying attention. I’m not sure, but I think that Nii-san was trying to set things right and it just went wrong.”

“I’m sure if you’re worried you can talk to him soon,” Tetsuya said. His voice was reassuring as always, but Airi could hear the small tint of worry in it.

“You don’t need to hold back, Tetsuya-kun. What is it?”

He hesitated, the small sound escaping his throat before being cut off. Airi kept her focus on him, waiting. As long as he was being honest, she didn’t care how long it took him to answer. “Airi-san, how bad is it? Your eye?”

Airi reached a hand up to her face. Even if she didn’t actively use her eyes, it still felt unnatural to have bandages over one of them. They felt like a restriction, an even deeper reminder of her condition. “The doctor said that they would have to check once my skin’s healed more, but my eye itself took quite the beating from the glass. On the off chance that we could afford the surgery now, it wouldn’t do any good…”

It bothered her. Youta already felt guilty about her blindness in the first place, but this would only make it worse. He would blame himself even more. Airi was worried. Already, her brother had gone to extremes to try and fix the problem. What would he do now, when things couldn’t be fixed anymore?

And even more than that—

“It’s not fair, Tetsuya-kun… I… I always told myself that I was okay with being blind. But now… Now that I think about it, I realize… I wouldn’t have minded so much. It’s selfish, but I was still glad when I learned you were all playing for me in that tournament, because I thought… I thought that maybe I’d get a chance to use my own eyes to look at you, even for a moment…”

Airi’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had cried. It felt wrong to lament now that the chance was gone. She couldn’t help it. She cried, and Tetsuya didn’t say anything, but that was okay, because Airi didn’t think anything she heard could help at all.

“Tetsuya-kun, I don’t want it to be this way… I’m going to be fully blind by the end of next year, and there’s no going back. And this…” She closed her hand over the bandages, coming close to pulling some of them out. “This just made it worse, so… With the last of what sight I have, can I see you?”

Tetsuya was still silent, but his hands took a hold of hers, pulled the one away from her face. His chair made a noise as he stood up, and she could feel him moving closer.

“Airi-san, look at me,” he said, voice soft.

She opened the eye she was able to. It had been a silly idea, and she knew it. Even with him just centimeters away, all she saw was a blur, stronger than she remembered, the tears probably making it even worse than it already was. Colors mixed together, and there was no distinction, but she stared at him until her eye began to hurt and imprinted the image of what she thought was light blue that made up Tetsuya onto her eyelids.


	13. Chapter 13: Patience

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 13: Patience

* * *

Tetsuya finished filling up the vase with water and sat it back down on Airi’s bedside table. For having been in the hospital for three days, they were still holding up well. He would probably have to buy new ones if Airi had to stay into next week, but he could worry about that sort of thing later.

“I’m actually surprised that Aida-senpai has let you skip practice so many days in a row,” Airi commented, a smile on her lips. The bandages were still wrapped firmly around her head, and Tetsuya hadn’t had a chance to see under them. Airi had assured him that she was healing fine, and even the nurses had confirmed it.

Even so, part of him insisted he would feel better if he saw it himself.

“I have special permission right now,” Tetsuya answered, settling back into the chair. He had moved it as close to the bed as possible, and the arm rest pressed against the white sheets. “Everyone has been worried about you, so Coach said it was my duty to check in on you.” Tetsuya chose to leave out the part where Aida had mentioned it being his duty as Airi’s boyfriend. His cheeks heated up a bit at the thought.

Airi frowned a little. “You have been telling them that I’m fine, right?” she asked. “It’s true that I’m stuck here, but it’s only to reduce the chance of an infection and to make sure there isn’t any delayed trauma from hitting my head. I feel just fine.” She pouted, and her cheeks puffed out a bit. Tetsuya reached out a hand to the unbandaged side of her face.

Airi’s expression softened at the contact, and she leaned against his hand. Her skin was smooth. “I promise I’m telling them you’re fine as much as I can. There’s no need to scold me.” Airi blushed, the tips of her ears turning red as well. “But to be honest, I don’t think everyone’s going to stop worrying until you’re back at school again.”

Airi sighed. “Even though I’m grateful to everyone, I think it’s a bit silly,” she admitted. Tetsuya hadn’t noticed before, but now he could tell she was being more honest with her feelings around him. The Airi he had first met wouldn’t have said something that she disliked so plainly.

_Is it because we’re dating? Because she just got used to me? Or maybe because of the accident?_

Despite Airi’s request to not worry about it, Tetsuya still thought about the accident. He had gotten over blaming himself—true, he had left his phone behind, but that didn’t make it the only reason Airi had gotten involved. However, there were still reminders like Airi and Youta’s empty desk and the fact that Tetsuya was even making hospital trips at all.

And then there were the bandages.

He tried not to think too hard about them, but he couldn’t help it. Airi had said enough damage had been done to her right eye to make the surgery Youta had been working so hard for useless. Not being able to see it only made things worse. Airi would have mentioned it if something big had happened, so her eye was still there. But what did it look like? Did she have scars?

“Tetsuya-kun,” Airi said, frowning. It wasn’t an angry frown, but her lips still pursed together. She had to have figured out what he was feeling. “Don’t just sit there and be so quiet. Talk to me.” Even though they were commands at the core value, she still managed to say them in a way that was soothing.

“I just…” Tetsuya faltered. Hands shaking, he traded off their positions, his right returning to his side, his left touching the bandages without applying much pressure. Airi started in surprise again, but didn’t stop him. She would want him to be blunt. “Do you know if you’re going to have scars?”

Airi’s lips parted slightly and her visible eyebrow shifted. “I really didn’t think about that,” she admitted. “The doctors seemed far more concerned about infections, and it didn’t occur to me to ask.” Airi fidgeted a bit, her fingers tangling together. “If you want me to, I can ask, though.”

There was something—a gap in the conversation. Tetsuya realized that he was waiting for Airi to ask if it would bother him at all, if her face changed. He wanted to reassure her, to say that it wouldn’t. Airi was still Airi, and judging her based on sight whenever she didn’t—she_ couldn’t_—wasn’t fair. She didn’t ask, though, and Tetsuya understood that it wasn’t necessary.

Because she already knew.

“This is the right room number, right?”

“It looks like it.” There was a knock on the door. “Watanabe-san, we’re coming in.”

Tetsuya looked over his shoulder. Leading the entrance into the room was Onishi, the class representative. “How are you feeling, Watanabe-san?” she asked. The girl was smiling until she locked eyes with him, frowning in the blue haired boy’s direction. “Kuroko-kun,” Onishi said, a less than cheerful tone in her voice, “you do understand that as the person we asked to see Watanabe-san, you _are_ supposed to remember to deliver her homework, correct?”

Tetsuya had completely forgotten—and judging by the small _Oh_ Airi let out, so had she. In his haste to check on his girlfriend, he had rushed out of the school without stopping by the teachers’ office. “I’m sorry,” Tetsuya apologized. He would have to stay even longer to help with her assignments now, but that wasn’t so bad.

“You better be sorry.” Onishi’s frown dispersed into a more neutral expression. “Sorry for sending him out here without it. I brought it along, though.” The class representative dug through her bag, pulling out a manila folder. “We did our best to take notes for you. Kuroko-kun said he knows how to help, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Oh, thank you,” Airi said. She held out a hand, and Onishi handed over the folder. Airi placed it on her lap, tucking it underneath her hands. “Don’t be too hard on Tetsuya-kun, though, Onishi-san. He’s helped me plenty over the past few days, even if school hasn’t been the focus.”

Onishi raised her eyebrows, sending a look in Tetsuya’s direction. The boy blushed. Airi giggled, covering her mouth with a hand as if it would conceal the sound. Trying not to focus on it, he casted his gaze back toward the door, remembering that there had been two voices. There had been Onishi, and he vaguely recognized the other, but hadn’t been able to place it.

He tensed up in an instant, and Airi stopped halfway through her small-talk composed sentence to Onishi. “Tetsuya-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Why is he here?”

Onishi looked confused, turning back around. “What, Miura-senpai?” she asked. The class representative pushed her bangs out of her face before moving the hand to her hip. “He said that he knew Watanabe-san and just heard about the accident. He was worried, so he wanted to come along and see if she was alright.”

That explanation didn’t do anything to make Tetsuya relax. If anything, it just made it worse. Yes, they knew each other, but that didn’t make them friends, either. Miura and Airi hadn’t been in the same vicinity of each other since the day Youta had attacked him.

So why now?

Miura laughed a little nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, maybe I should have called ahead in warning?” he said. It was too casual, and the third year didn’t even sound too guilty for what he had done. Airi may have forgiven him, but Tetsuya wasn’t sure he did. “You look like you’re doing well, Wata-chan. How are you feeling?”

_Wata-chan._ Youta would have punched him. For a second, Tetsuya considered doing it in his place before it faded. Getting so angry wasn’t something he did, and violence wouldn’t get anywhere. It was more likely to make Airi mad at _him_ instead, and getting banned from her hospital room wasn’t the situation Tetsuya wanted.

“I’ve been feeling fine,” Airi answered, smiling as she responded. Tetsuya took a calming breath and reached for her hand. Their fingers mingled. “It was nice of you to come out here to check on me, Miura-san. Oh, wait. Onishi-san did say you’re our senpai, correct?”

“Yeah, but it’s nothing special.” A third year. A couple of third years had been the ones to bully Airi. Even though they were older, they didn’t know better. Tetsuya kept his mouth shut, and Airi traced circles with her thumb on the back of his hand. “Feel free to call me whatever you like. It’s the least I can do.”

“Oh, but I wouldn’t feel right not referring to you anyway other than ‘Senpai.’” Airi thought for a moment, frowning a bit before letting out a small laugh. “Sorry, I can’t even convince myself to try. It just doesn’t feel respectful enough.”

_Respect._ Tetsuya hadn’t expected the word to have so much of an impact on him. He tried to contain his annoyance—he wanted to protest, to say that Miura didn’t _deserve_ respect, not after what he and Sakamoto had done, that Airi shouldn’t feel any obligations. Her fingers squeezed on his and Airi opened her mouth, taking a short breath.

“Listen, I’m sorry that I don’t know your name,” Miura said. He was speaking about Tetsuya, and the boy in question realized that they had never been properly introduced. “But I can get why you don’t want me here. What Sakamoto and I did was shit, and we could have hurt Wata-chan a lot.”

_You could have,_ Tetsuya thought, the words harsher than anything he had thought in a long time. They dangled on his tongue, his lips. _You could have done a lot worse._

Miura clenched his fist. “I know no apology can erase it, no matter how kind Wata-chan is.” He was shaking, and Tetsuya realized he was, too. Airi’s fingers slid up his arm, coming to a rest on Tetsuya’s shoulder. “But I don’t want to hurt her. I just want to try and make up for what I’ve done. I stopped being friends with Sakamoto, too. So if you want to protect Wata-chan, I understand that, but at least let me try.”

“Tetsuya-kun,” Airi whispered. He couldn’t tell if they were meant to be a warning, a reassurance, or a question. She turned his face towards hers, making sure that they were speaking properly. “Tetsuya-kun, he’s being sincere. I’d like to trust him. What about you?”

_What about me?_ If he were to be honest, Tetsuya still wanted to throw Miura out of the room and make sure he never came back. But Airi was still willing to trust him, and that was her judgment. And even if she’d understand his reasons, Airi would still be sad if they turned Miura down.

And if he wasn’t honest, she would be even sadder still.

Tetsuya let out a small sigh. “I don’t like it,” he admitted. Airi frowned, and Miura winced in Tetsuya’s peripheral vision. Onishi was watching with a mix of her earlier confusion and odd detachment—a true bystander. “Even so, I think we can give him a chance.” Tetsuya took Airi’s hand back, returning the squeeze to her fingers. “I want to stay by your side if he’s here, but other than that, I’ll withhold my objections.”

Airi nodded. It was such a visual based cue, and Tetsuya was amazed she still used it. “Thank you, Tetsuya-kun.” She put her hands together in front of her chest, turning to address the others. “Now that that’s settled, feel free to take a seat. Tetsuya-kun mentioned there should be enough chairs for all of you.”

“No, thanks,” Onishi declined. “I’m glad you’re doing well, but it’s obvious I don’t have much of a place here. I’ll just head out and leave you to it. If you ever need help, send Kuroko-kun back with a message. Kuroko-kun, you better not slack off on helping Watanabe-san with her homework either!”

Tetsuya blinked, not expecting the admonition. “I won’t,” he answered.

“I’ll be sure to ask for your help if I need it, Onishi-san,” Airi agreed. “I’m sorry for making you come out all this way, but thank you for delivering my homework.”

Onishi shook her head. “No, it’s no problem,” she said. “After all, that’s what a class representative is for.” The girl picked her school bag up again, holding it over her shoulder. “I hope you can come back to school, soon, Watanabe-san.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day, Onishi-san.”

Onishi headed for the door, sliding it open. Instead of stepping through, she turned back, looking back to the bedside and those gathered at it. “Oh, Watanabe-san, about your brother…” she started. Tetsuya waited for Airi to flinch or squeeze his hand. She didn’t. “Will he be returning to school soon, too?”

“I…” Airi stopped her words. There was silence. Miura looked to Tetsuya for guidance, but the latter just shook his head. “Nii-san’s been busy because of the accident. Hopefully he’ll be able to come back around the same time I do.”

Onishi seemed satisfied. She nodded, said her farewells again, and closed the door behind her.

The silence only thickened, save for a bird chattering outside the window, the sound separated from the room by glass. Tetsuya wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. Youta had yet to visit, and Tetsuya hadn’t seen him since the day he and Kagami had first come to see Airi. They had avoided talking about him, a silent agreement. But even that wasn’t what bothered Tetsuya most.

Airi had lied.

“I’m sorry,” she said, taking a shaky breath. Her words were on the verge of containing tears. “I just didn’t want her to think Nii-san didn’t have a good reason. He already missed so much school, and people might think poorly of him, so I…” Airi inhaled, a sharp sound merging with the action. She covered her mouth.

“Did something happen to your brother?” Miura asked, looking concerned. He moved one of the chairs in the room closer to the bedside and sat down, leaving some distance between himself and the couple. “I only heard that you were in the hospital, Wata-chan, I didn’t think…”

Airi took another calming breath, but didn’t say anything. Tetsuya took over. “Watanabe-kun didn’t get hurt, but he hasn’t visited at all. We don’t know where he is, and the last time he disappeared, it didn’t end so well.” He left it at that. Miura didn’t need to know all the details, and if they talked about them, Airi might lose her calm and start crying.

Tetsuya didn’t want to see that again.

“I see.” Miura frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. “Who knew a guy like that could be so much trouble? Sheesh.”

Airi shook her head before Tetsuya could say anything. “No, Nii-san’s not being any trouble at all,” she protested. For the first time to Tetsuya, it sounded like a reflex. He couldn’t tell if Airi actually believed it. He wanted to think she actually believed it, and that was why she defended him on instinct. Miura raised an eyebrow. “That is, I mean… Yes, I’m worried about Nii-san. But really, isn’t that what siblings are supposed to do for each other? That’s why he did what he did for me.”

Tetsuya couldn’t even say anything about Airi’s defense because he was about to do the same thing.

Miura nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Yeah, I can’t get mad at him for punching me in the face. He’s just that kind of guy,” he agreed. This time, Tetsuya looked at the other male, looking for an answer. The older boy chuckled. “Come on, don’t you get that kind of feeling? When he’s so honest about protecting Wata-chan, it just increases his charm by at least fifteen percent.”

Tetsuya didn’t know about that, but he guessed he could see what was admirable about Youta’s way of life. Even if he was misled at times, he never gave up on taking care of Airi. His resolve was almost terrifying.

“Yeah, Nii-san’s really great,” Airi said. She smiled, even though her hands were shaking on top of the folder Onishi had left. “I do wish he would let me know he’s alright, though.”

“I don’t think he’s ready yet,” Tetsuya said. Once again, he joined their hands. “Kagami-kun and I saw him the first day we came here.” He had been meaning to keep the encounter a secret so as to keep Airi from feeling worse. As if on cue, she perked up at the sound of his words. “He seemed to feel bad about everything. Kagami-kun talked to him, but I don’t know what about.” He would have to ask. Maybe it could help.

“But Watanabe-kun was really thinking hard,” he continued. “He has to know you’ve already forgiven him, Airi-san. He just needs more time to forgive himself.”

“If you want, I can look for him,” Miura suggested. “I mean, I don’t know how much luck I’ll have, but I can try.”

Both boys watched Airi. She seemed to think for several minutes before shaking her head. “No, that’s okay,” she declined. “I trust Nii-san to show up when he’s ready. There’s no point in forcing him.” She smiled, the faint curve of her lips making Tetsuya mimic the expression. “And he was here, so that means he’s still watching over me. I know I said I don’t like inconveniencing him, but that makes me really happy.”

The door to the room opened, causing all three teens to turn toward the sound. It was such a perfect novel moment that Tetsuya half expected Youta to be standing there, even though a nurse was far more likely. But both instances were wrong, and instead a girl with wavy brown hair pulled up in a ponytail stood there, her gaze landing on Tetsuya.

“Oh, you’re here Kuroko-san,” she said. “I guess that means I’m in the right place.”


	14. Chapter 14: Hospital Flowers

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 14: Hospital Flowers

* * *

The voice of the new arrival to the hospital room was female, although it wasn’t anyone that Airi recognized. It did appear, if the newcomer’s words were anything to go by, that she did know Tetsuya. There was a faint coil of jealousy in Airi’s gut, but she forced it to relax. Out of all the possible things, that was not the one that needed to be focused on right now.

“I’m sorry,” Airi said, “but I don’t believe I know you. Have we met before?” She only asked because there was a chance. However, it was faint, but Airi thought the other girl’s head shake from across the room.

“You’re right, we haven’t,” the girl confirmed. Her voice was light, a bit higher pitched than Airi’s own. However, it was pleasant, almost like wind chimes. “My name is Kaizuto Megumi. It’s nice to meet you, Watanabe-san.”

Airi started at the sound of her name, but bowed her head regardless. There was no point in an introduction if she was already known. It was concerning a bit, but since her name was next to the door, getting too worked up over it wasn’t the proper response.

“Why did you come here, Kaizuto-san?” Tetsuya asked. The question was far less pointed than it had been towards Miura. Airi relaxed a bit more. Kaizuto could be trusted. “It’s nice of you to visit, but…” Tetsuya trailed off, not providing what had seemed like it would have been an objection.

“Akashi-kun sent me,” Kaizuto provided, her voice still coming from across the room. She hadn’t shut the door, either. “He knows you didn’t ask for help, but he still wants to offer it if you need it. He’s been busy with the student council and the basketball team, though, so I offered to do it.” Her voice shook a bit, but Airi could still hear the pride in it.

So she knew Akashi, then. Airi had yet to meet the rest of Tetsuya’s middle school teammates aside from Kise, but she had asked about them. There hadn’t been time to learn too much, but at the very least she could recognize their names.

“You told your teammates?” Airi asked, curious. Tetsuya blushed a bit, shifting in his seat. Miura was now the onlooker, keeping to silence.

“Everyone seemed so surprised that I had found a girlfriend,” Tetsuya supplied, a bit of frustration slipping into his voice. It was faint, but it was there. “They kept asking me how things were going, so I told them.” Airi smiled. Hearing that Tetsuya talked about her made her happy, and he was cute like this. “Akashi-kun told you, though?”

Kaizuto let out a small noise at the question. “Ah, yes…” Even with her hesitation, she managed to sound happy. Airi wished the girl would come closer so it would be easier to guess her body language, but kept the request to herself. “I’m sorry to pry, Watanabe-san, but do you know when you’ll be fit to leave?”

Airi’s head turned down, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t been given a discharge date yet,” she said. It was frustrating, not knowing the exact amount of time she would have to be confined to a bed, but it was just something she would have to deal with it. Besides, it would be easier to return to school when Youta and Tetsuya were both with her, when everyone was there. “They did estimate that it shouldn’t take more than a week, though.”

“I see. That’ll be too late, then,” Kaizuto said. Tetsuya’s head tilted a bit to the side, and Airi smiled a bit. It was such a subtle motion, but she had still caught onto it. “Like I said, Akashi-kun has his hands full right now. If you would still be here, he was interested in meeting you… Ah, not to say that it isn’t a good thing that you’ll be out soon.”

Airi smiled a bit more. Kaizuto had almost seemed monotone beforehand, but just now her voice had quivered. It wasn’t funny that she was nervous, but it was reassuring there was a person under there.

“If Akashi-kun wanted to meet Airi-san, he could have just said so,” Tetsuya said. So then Akashi wasn’t the type to be honest with his feelings. “I’ll be sure to talk to him. If Airi-san’s alright with it, we can visit sometime.” Airi nodded her consent. After meeting Kise, she had been interested in getting to know all of Tetsuya’s former teammates, even if she hadn’t met up with the blonde since. “I’m sorry he sent you all the way out here, Kaizuto-san. He really should have just told me so.”

“No, it’s fine!” Judging by the way her voice shifted, Kaizuto was shaking her head. “He really just needs people to do things for him right now, so I’ll do what I can.” Once again, there was that pride, even if it was a bit weak. “That and I never got the chance to thank you, Kuroko-san.”

“Thank him?” Airi asked, speaking before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth with a hand embarrassed. She hadn’t wanted to interrupt, but there was enough context missing in this conversation that she couldn’t take it. “Sorry…”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Tetsuya put his hand on Airi’s arm. Kaizuto paused before continuing. “Kuroko-san just helped Akashi-kun last year. He helped me, too.” For a moment, enough warmth entered her voice that Airi wanted to believe Kaizuto was smiling. “Akashi-kun hasn’t said anything, but he is grateful. And so am I. So thank you very much, Kuroko-san.”

This time, Airi kept silent. If there was a story, it would take too much time to explain. Tetsuya would probably tell her later if she bothered to ask.

“I really don’t think I did much,” Tetsuya said. “But I’m glad that Akashi-kun is feeling better. Please keep taking care of him, Kaizuto-san.”

“I try, but most of the time I’m sure he’s the one taking care of me.” Kaizuto laughed, and it sounded slightly hollow. Not completely, but just enough that Airi noticed. “That being said, take care, Kuroko-san, Watanabe-san. I hope you get well soon.”

She didn’t even have to walk far to exit—there were just a few of Kaizuto’s footsteps before the door shut, and then the girl was gone. Airi wanted to ask Tetsuya several questions, but didn’t know where to start. There was a silence until Miura broke it.

“You know too many cute girls, you know that, Kuroko?” he said, and Airi couldn’t help but break down into giggles.

_I guess I really am that nervous, then…_

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Tetsuya said, a slight warning in his voice. Airi sat up, focusing in on him. She didn’t get the sense that Kaizuto _wasn’t_ cute, but then again, Airi couldn’t really be sure. She waited, and Tetsuya nodded. “Not to be rude, Miura-senpai, but she wouldn’t be interested in you.”

Miura made a sound like he had been physically hit, even though no such thing had happened. Airi laughed a little again, taking a breath to contain herself. “Oh, so is she Akashi-san’s girlfriend, then?” she guessed. To her surprise, Tetsuya shook his head.

“No, I wouldn’t say they’re dating. But I do think that Kaizuto-san doesn’t want to make anyone else happy but him, even if it’s not within a relationship.” Airi thought about that for a little bit. Being able to care for someone enough that you would be happy just doing what you could… Everyone else around her was just so incredible.

“Man, no fair…” Miura grumbled. “I just can’t win when it comes to girls, seriously…”

Airi smiled. “Don’t worry, Miura-senpai,” she said, reaching out for Tetsuya’s hand and feeling his pulse against hers. “Sometimes these things just happen. I’m sure you’ll find someone as long as you don’t give up.”

And Airi thought she could sense Miura’s smile for the first time.

* * *

The Seirin Basketball Club was so noisy that they could be heard in the hallway, even when the door was closed. Normally they would have been asked to quiet down, but it was early enough in the afternoon that most people in the hospital were awake. No one had complained yet, at the very least, and they continued their chatter, showering Airi with get well wishes and gifts.

Youta stood outside, listening in. The conversations were muffled, but he could hear Airi’s voice, her laughter. It was amazing. All of these people, who had been strangers a month ago, had been willing to play for her eyesight, were concerned about her wellbeing now. And even if she couldn’t see, Airi could still smile.

_So I guess I gotta earn my spot at her side back, huh?_

To be honest, Youta wasn’t sure how he was going to do that. It was going to be difficult. Even if he knew that Airi would accept him back, no matter what, Youta didn’t quite feel worthy enough. Sometimes, even just thinking about what had happened made him want to cry. He didn’t know what would happen if he saw her just yet.

He was content to let Tetsuya and the rest of the basketball club handle take care of her for now. And sometime—he wasn’t sure exactly when, but _soon_—he would be able to put his hand on the doorknob and not hesitate. They would talk, and reconcile, and everything would find a way to settle back into normalcy, or at least it would once his suspension was up.

He hadn’t been able to do much besides take up space in the hospital’s halls and avoid the staff. Once the night shift settled in, Youta had been able to find empty rooms to sleep in for a few hours at a time. If anyone found him, they didn’t stop him, but it was unreasonable to keep think he could keep this up forever.

“Guess it’s time to stop running away from home, then…” he muttered, turning away from Airi’s hospital door with the intent of heading for the train station. It be nice to sleep in his own bed again, and there was probably an envelope waiting with their allowance. It wouldn’t be much, but it would be enough to get Airi a good meal once she was discharged.

The bus ride wasn’t as cramped as it could have been, and Youta listened to the passengers chatter. He still felt out of place amongst people, but it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t enough to not make him wish for headphones, though. Airi liked listening to music, even if they didn’t do it much in public, and his phone’s music library was filled with songs that she liked.

If the train ride had been strange, it was even stranger walking the roads. Youta tried to avoid the site of the crash, but it fell in his normal route, and it was clean again. Wiped out, a clean slate showing that nothing had ever happened. The rumors were probably gone, too, and the neighborhood seemed to have moved on.

Finally, he made it home, unlocking the door. Youta stepped inside, prepared to navigate the boxes still sitting around, and was almost bowled over by someone tackling him. Youta tensed up, wondering if thieves had come in—_Airi should have locked the door, she always reminded me…_

“Where have you been?!” Watanabe Noboru shouted, and Youta realized that the one that had collided with him was his father. Without realizing, Youta froze up, his heart rate going faster than it had inside Hayashi’s men’s car. “Eiko and I called the school, they said something about an accident, and—”

Youta’s mother cleared her throat, bringing her husband’s words to a halt. The Watanabe matriarch had gotten her hair cut since Youta had last seen her, and her dark black locks were cut straight and short, framing her face. It made her chin look sharper than before, which matched the glint in her eyes.

“What your father’s trying to say,” Eiko said, “is that you have some explaining to do. We trusted you to live here on your own, and you’ve been suspended from school without contacting us.” Her eyes glanced past Youta into the doorway, somehow narrowing even further. “Where is your sister?”

Youta couldn’t speak. The answer was obvious, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it. Yes, it had been his job to protect Airi. Yes, he had screwed up. But he had hoped that maybe he could pass it off, that maybe Airi would cover for him, that they could explain their hospital bills some other way.

More than anything, he had _prayed_ that their parents wouldn’t find out.

But they had, and Youta was certain he was probably going to be grounded for life. Eiko was staring him down, a hardness denser than usual in her eyes, and even Noboru, who was usually the more lenient parent, looked more than a bit disappointed. The worst part was that Airi wasn’t there behind him to be able to help.

She had always had a calming effect over the family. If there was anytime they needed it, it was now.

“We tried calling you,” Noboru continued, his fingers fidgeting. This time, Eiko didn’t cut him off. “You didn’t answer, even when you should have been home from school. Your teachers said something about you missing school? Have you been feeling alright?”

“I…” Youta stammered, and that was all he could manage. How was he supposed to put it into words, the charity tournament, the accident, watching his sister drift away from him bit by bit smiling at Tetsuya, talking about him on walks home from school?

Eiko adjusted her glasses, her frown causing creases in her forehead. “You haven’t told us where Airi is,” she reminded. Youta’s eyes shot to the floor, studying the carpet. “From that guilty expression, I don’t think she’s safe spending time with friends that you trust her with.” Youta almost laughed. His mother didn’t know that her guess was actually right, that with Seirin was the only other place Youta would let Airi be than with him. “Answer me, Youta.”

“You-tan,” Noboru added, his voice pleading.

“You heard the school,” Youta said, his voice hard, bitter. “She’s in the hospital.” It should have been a bomb, but it didn’t feel like it. The words were more of a confession of his own guilt than anything, and admitting it was actually uplifting, regardless of the glare Eiko had manifested.

“What the hell were you _thinking_?” she asked, not screaming. That was the scary part. Eiko never yelled, but her anger was evident, almost a solid presence in the air. “You were supposed to take care of her, make her life go the way she wanted here. Instead, you two are truants from school, ending up in the _hospital_ of all things—”

“Ka-san,” Youta said, not sure where he even got the strength to speak, let alone be that assertive. Eiko’s eyes widened a fraction, but that was it, barely perceptible. “Ka-san,” he repeated, “I get it. I know that I’m in trouble. But is that really what you should be focusing on?”

Eiko looked like she was ready to slap him, even if Youta knew she never would. “Ei-chan,” Noboru said, the worry soaking the air almost as much as his wife’s anger. “Ei-chan, we need to go check on her, to be sure Ai-chan’s alright…”

“You’re right,” Eiko allowed, her frown still in place. “You’re to stay home, Youta. I expect you to be here when we get back, and you will give an explanation.”

Youta nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now which hospital is your hospital at?”

“Hashimoto General,” he answered, his voice at a whisper. Eiko moved past him without another look, heading out the door. Noboru chased after her, saying something about waiting, and the door shut behind them. Youta stood there, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying not to cry.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the living room beyond the entrance, some of the boxes moved, but the path he had carved for Airi still the same. He took careful steps, making sure not to make a noise, not wanting to disturb anything else. Making it back to the kitchen, he grimaced at the dishes, the plates of food sat out if he and Airi came back.

“I’m home,” he grumbled. This was supposed to have been a good thing, and he had been looking forward to saying it, despite everything that had happened. Now the words were just bitter, even if Airi would have wanted him to say them anyway. Finding himself without an appetite, Youta headed back down the hallway.

_I should probably let Ai-chan know that they’re coming…_ Checking his cell phone, Youta found it dead. He almost ran down the hall to his room, footsteps pounding, ones he knew his mother would yell at him for if she were here. His room was the same as he had left it, and Youta pulled the charger out of the wall, taking it to the bathroom with him and plugging it in there.

He let it charge, starting to run the bath water and pulling off his clothes. Once his phone had enough power to start up, he sent a text to Tetsuya and turned his phone back off right after. He didn’t need a bombardment of questions, and he would go see Airi himself once Eiko let him out of the house.

He washed up quickly, sinking into the bath as soon as he could. He didn’t get why people always talked about being numb in these situations. As far as Youta was concerned, he felt overstimulated, like there were too many thoughts trying to grab his attention at once, all of them preventing him from thinking straight.

The boy ducked his head underwater, only surfacing once his lungs burned for air. Even the lack of oxygen wasn’t enough to make him stop thinking.

_Is it just me, or do real life epiphanies never give you enough time to enjoy them?_


	15. Chapter 15: Equilibrium

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 15: Equilibrium

* * *

Airi smoothed out the skirt of her uniform then put out a hand on Youta’s arm, hoping to stabilize him. He had been fidgeting at the outskirts of her senses for a while now, and it only made her more nervous. They had survived everything so far—his suspension, the accident, the first day back at school, their _parents_—so this shouldn’t have been anything more.

And yet he was shaking under Airi’s fingers as they stood before the door to the Seirin High School gymnasium.

“Don’t be nervous, Nii-san,” she whispered. It was an almost vain request, but she hoped that it worked anyway. Youta turned towards her, not saying anything. “Don’t push yourself into doing this if you’re not ready. We can go home today and try again tomorrow…”

Still more silence. Airi wondered what Youta was doing, what he was thinking. As far as she could tell his expression was blank, but she was probably missing most of the details anyway. She wanted to put her hands to his face, to figure out if he was staring or not. The bandages had come off before she had left the hospital. There were a few scars, but the doctors said they would fade in time.

Airi wasn’t sure if she wanted them gone soon or if she wished they would always stay as a reminder, as an affirmation of this period of time.

“No,” Youta finally said, his voice moderate. It didn’t sound strong, but it wasn’t weak either. “We’ve come this far, no time to wuss out now. Just… Just wait with me for a bit, okay, Ai-chan? I’ll be ready to go in soon.”

“Of course I’ll wait,” she said. “There’s no need to be so silly, Nii-san. I’m your sister, so of course I’ll stay by you, as long as you need me.” Airi moved her hand down his arm, taking hold of his hand. He was still shaking a bit, but Youta squeezed back.

“Thanks,” he whispered. It was almost a rasp. Airi stayed silent and waited in front of the door with him. Muted by the door, she could still hear the sounds of sneakers against the floor and Aida’s whistle blowing commands. She imagined them practicing, imagined Tetsuya smiling at his teammates.

She imagined Youta was on the court with them, even if the rhythms inside were all wrong.

“Okay,” Youta breathed. Airi smiled at him in encouragement, letting him open the door and take the first step forward. She didn’t relent her grip on his hand, and she didn’t let him get ahead of her. They walked together, stopping at the point Airi knew as the edge of the court.

Practice continued for a few seconds until there was a shout of recognition—_Koganei-senpai, perhaps?_—and then there were so many voices at once that Airi couldn’t tell them apart. There were hugs and pats on the shoulders until everyone was a circle around them, and even Nigou brushed against Airi’s legs, his tail tapping against her as it wagged.

“Okay, come on everyone, back up a bit,” Aida called. There was a shuffle of sneakers as everyone shifted, and Youta’s grip on Airi’s hand tightened. Satisfied, the Seirin coach stepped forward so that she was standing in front of them. “Watanabe-kun, what the hell were you thinking?”

Youta flinched, but didn’t run away. Airi knew he could have if he wanted to, but he didn’t. “I…” he started. From how his voice projected, Airi was sure he was looking down.

“Listen, I know everyone has their troubles, but you can’t shut us out like that. We’re your teammates, and we’re here to help you, even if it’s not on the court,” Aida continued. “Sure, you haven’t played in a game and skipped for weeks, but your name is still in my registrar, so you’re one of us. If you still wanted to change something after we lost at the tournament, you could have just asked again instead of running away!”

Airi wondered just how much the basketball team knew. She had told Tetsuya her theories, but none of those were solid, and even then, he probably hadn’t told anyone else. But then again, Youta had asked Aida for help in the first place, so maybe the Seirin coach knew more than Airi did.

Regardless, Youta was shaking.

“Hey, come on, we’re not mad at you for that,” Aida said, trying hard to add a comforting tone to her voice. “Well, kinda annoyed, but we forgive you. _However_…” The emphasis hit Airi hard, causing her to shiver as well. “You still skipped practice for two weeks, Watanabe-kun and that’s a big no.”

“O-oi,” attempted Hyuga, the first one to speak besides his coach. “Watanabe was suspended for half of that. You can’t blame him for it…”

“No excuses!” Aida objected, and Airi felt the entire population of the gymnasium jump at once. “While that may not be his fault, Watanabe-kun is still guilty of not having practiced at all since he ran away. It’s in his best athletic interest to make him do extra training until he’s back in shape.” Turning back towards the twins, Aida asked, “What do you think, Watanabe-kun. That sound fair enough?”

Airi wished she knew what Youta was thinking. She knew what kind of person he was when trouble happened—he always blamed himself, even if there was nothing to be done about it. Everything in the past few weeks couldn’t have been any different. Airi squeezed at his fingers even though hers were numb.

“Nii-san,” she said, even though she knew Youta was about to speak. It was selfish, but Airi felt like she needed to say something. “Nii-san, please stay on the team. I know a lot’s happened, but you still loved basketball after all this time. So surely you still want to keep playing even now, right?”

“Of…of course I do!” Youta said. He turned towards Airi, putting his hands on his shoulders. She let out a gasp, but didn’t protest. “Listen, Ai-chan, I figured some stuff out. I was being selfish, and that’s self-evident. Beyond that, I still really want to help you. But now, I realize that’s not just my responsibility. Everyone else here is willing to help, so if I do some things for myself, that’s okay, right?”

Airi let out a small laugh. “Don’t be silly, Nii-san. I’ve always been telling you that.”

Youta let go of her shoulders, turning back in Aida’s direction. He was still close enough to touch, though, just centimeters between their shoulders. “Everyone, I’d like to apologize for all the trouble that I’ve caused. I know that it’s enough to ask, but I’d like it if you could please consider forgiving me.” With that, he dropped down into a bow.

Airi bowed alongside him. She knew Youta would probably protest later, but for now she could deal with it. After all, this was their joint responsibility, and Airi would _beg_ if that was what it took for everyone to accept Youta again.

Aida sighed. “Come on, I already said it was okay, didn’t I?” she groaned. Youta straightened up, and his sister followed suit. “Geeze, you two are so uptight sometimes. You should be celebrating! Airi-chan just got out of the hospital and Watanabe-kun gets to come to school again. So you two smile, got it? ‘Cause we’re going out to dinner today!”

“_A dinner party?_” Airi asked, her voice overlapping with Youta’s. She started to giggle first, then Youta laughed, louder, the sounds echoing off the gymnasium walls and into the ceiling. The rest of the basketball club joined in, mixed in with cheers about going out and getting changed.

“You ready to go, Nii-san?” Airi whispered, just loud enough for her twin to hear.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Youta replied. Airi responded to the smile in his voice with one of her own.

* * *

_Airi clutched her hands into the sheets, biting her lip. The text had come through from Youta half an hour ago, and she had been waiting with Tetsuya ever since. The rest of the Seirin Basketball Club had left, saying that they didn’t want to make the room too quiet once her parents showed up. Tetsuya had stayed because Airi had asked, because she didn’t want to be alone._

_She had tried calling Youta’s cell phone back, but it went straight to voice mail. She didn’t dare leave a message on the home answering machine in case her parents heard it first._

_“You shouldn’t be scared,” Tetsuya said, keeping his voice steady. “They’re your parents. I’m sure that they just want to make sure you’re doing alright.”_

_“I’m not ready to see them,” Airi admitted. “I never really thought… I mean, they haven’t been around for all this time, and with everything that’s happened, I didn’t consider the fact that it was about time for them to finally make it home.”_

_Footsteps approached the door, loud and heavy. When they were at home, Eiko always made sure to take lighter steps so that she didn’t disturb Airi. Whenever she left, though, she always put on heavy boots, ones that echoed out of the entryway and into the kitchen in their last home. That hadn’t changed in the month that had passed, and Eiko entered the room, Noboru’s tennis shoe squeaking against the floor as he attempted to catch up with his wife._

_“It’s been a while, Otoo-san, Okaa-san,” Airi said, mainly because politeness and formalities where the only things she could think of at the moment._

_“It has,” Eiko responded. “How are you feeling?”_

_“I feel alright.” Airi didn’t mention anything about her cluttered thoughts, about the feeling of being sick brewing in her stomach. She just focused on the information, on what her mother would want to know in a situation like this. “It’s been a bit hard on my eyes, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore.”_

_“Oh, thank goodness…” Noboru breathed in relief. Their voices had gotten closer, and there was an adjustment of chairs as Airi’s parents sat down. “We were worried. When are you able to discharge?”_

_“Soon,” she answered. “I’m not supposed to do anything strenuous, but that was a given anyway. I should be able to get back to school, and my classmates have been helping me out with my homework, so I should be caught up.”_

_Noboru was smiling—Airi just knew it. Her father always shifted in a way that made her feel relaxed when he did. Eiko tapped her fingers against the armrest of the hospital chair. “Airi, what happened?” the woman asked, and Airi swallowed._

_What could she say? Everything was still theories. Not the truth. Not until she had talked to Youta and they had figured things out. “There was a car accident down the street,” Airi said. It wasn’t lying. It was still the truth. “I went out for a walk and got caught up in it.” She wished she could add something else. _That’s about it, _she could say. But that wasn’t true at all._

_Eiko pursed her lips. Airi just knew it. “And where was your brother?”_

_Airi took a breath, the air making a sharp noise in her throat. She thought of Youta, fighting for her, trying his best to make something about the situation change, _anything_. _

_“Nii-san,” she said. “Nii-san was there. He helped me.” Another sharp breath. “He did everything he could.”_

_That was all Airi could manage before she started crying. “Ei-chan,” Noboru urged, and Eiko fell silent._

* * *

It wasn’t anything too special, just some diner that had been willing to host a party of twenty. Somehow, Airi and Youta fit at the front of the table, surrounded by the Seirin Basketball Club. Kise had apparently been invited and brought a girl along—Mayurama Natsumi, or at least that was what Airi thought she had heard—and even Miura had been invited. Youta was silent toward the other boy, but didn’t object to his presence.

It was a start, at least.

It took some time, but small talk bridged the gap between ordering and their food arriving. Airi mostly listened, responding when people asked her questions but not much else. Just hearing everyone enjoy themselves was enough, especially since she had Youta at one side and Tetsuya at the other. If it wouldn’t have gotten in the way of eating, Airi would have insisted on holding both of their hands.

“Okay, everyone,” Aida called once most of their plates had been cleared off. Their waiter approached, a plate in his hands that he sat down on the table. “It’s time to say congratulations for Watanabe-kun and Airi-chan getting out of the hospital.”

Airi blushed a little, sitting back in her chair. She had been trying to get a smell of the dish in front of her, but hadn’t gotten close enough. Both Tetsuya and Youta leaned in at her sides. “_It’s a cake,_” they whispered in unison.

“Okay, get ready! _Se no!_”

“_Congratulations!_” the group cheered, even tossing in smatterings of applause. Even some others in the restaurant clapped a few times, and Airi smiled.

“Thank you, everyone,” she said.

“Not so fast,” Aida interjected. She started reaching around, the rustle of paper reaching Airi’s ears. “We know it’s not enough to cover all the expenses you’ll need, but we did our best to pull together at least some money.” Youta inhaled as he took the money from the coach. “No need to be so surprised, Watanabe-kun. Like we said, we take care of our teammates, right, guys?”

There was a collection of affirmatives, and Airi reached out a hand to put on Youta’s shoulder. He was shaking again, and she moved her hand up to his face. His breathing was fine, but there were tears forming in the boy’s eyes. “I… I don’t deserve everything you’ve done for me, for _us_. But thank you for helping Ai-chan.”

“Nii-san,” Airi said, putting the minimum force needed to scold without yelling into her voice. “You don’t need to think like that. You did everything you could have.” Youta looked up, uncurling from leaning over. “So be happy right now, Nii-san. After all, we’re fine and we’ve made such wonderful friends…”

“She’s right,” Kagami added from the other side of the table. “So stop your blubbering and eat the cake we got you, you big idiot.”

“Kagami-kun,” Tetsuya reprimanded.

Youta shook his head, and Airi lowered her hand. “No, it’s fine. Kagami’s right,” he said. The redhead made a sound of surprise. “No more crying. Go ahead, Aida-senpai, cut the cake. Just make sure that Ai-chan gets the biggest piece!”

A debate quickly ensued over who would be the one to serve the cake—something or other about _not_ letting Aida do it, for whatever reason. Airi did her best to raise her voice over the chatter. “Um, please don’t take Nii-san seriously. I won’t be able to eat too much…”

“It’s okay,” Tetsuya said. “Why don’t we just split a piece? I’m pretty full, too.” Airi smiled, nodding in agreement.

“Hold it right there, Kuroko!” Youta interjected, leaning across Airi’s lap and into the other boy’s face. Tetsuya moved back a little, just avoiding their heads colliding. “I don’t care if you two are dating now, that doesn’t mean you get to try and do stuff like couples in front of us! _I’m_ her brother, so _we’ll_ share it!”

Airi blushed, not knowing what else to say. She hadn’t meant to keep their relationship a secret from Youta; there just hadn’t been a good time to bring it up. Airi wanted to maybe tell him with Tetsuya, but not in front of everyone else like this. Even if the rest of the Seirin Basketball Club knew already, that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

“Don’t look so confused, Ai-chan,” Youta said, turning back to his sister. “Of course I figured it out. You’ve been talking about him, and Kuroko here’s been giving you glances all day.” Tetsuya made a small noise of surprise, blushing as well. “I’m okay with it, but can you just give me a little time to adjust? I…I’m not ready to admit that I’m not the only one that Ai-chan needs just yet.”

Airi nodded again, despite Kuroko shifting towards her. “So then why don’t all three of us split the piece then? As a transition celebration?” she suggested. Youta retreated to sit properly in his seat, and neither boy gave a protest.

“Hey, Kurokocchi, that’s no fair!” Kise whined. “You didn’t tell me you and Airicchi got this close already! I was totally cheering you on before, too!”

“Just what do you think you’re calling my sister? Huh?” Youta asked, turning his frustrations on the blonde.

“To be fair, Kise-kun, you didn’t tell me about Mayurama-san,” Tetsuya responded, not once breaking his tone. This made Kise whine to the girl in question, and finally Kagami was the one to place the piece of cake in front of Airi.

“Eat up,” he said, retreating back to distribute the rest of the cake. Airi scooped up two mouthfuls—one to silence Youta and the other for Tetsuya—before getting ready to take a bite of her own.

* * *

_It didn’t take long for Airi’s tears to subside. After all, she had figured out how to stop crying a long time ago, and this was no different. Her parents had started talking in the corner, trying to keep their voices low. Airi could still hear them, though, and they were discussing things like hospital bills and how much money they would have to work around to do it. _

_Airi couldn’t help but feel guilty. She hadn’t considered any of that. She had been worried about Youta and everyone being fine, not how they would handle the costs. Let alone how they were going to handle Youta’s situation. They would have to talk about that soon, or else nothing would get solved._

_“Airi-san,” Kuroko whispered. “Airi-san, it’s going to be okay. Please don’t worry. I’ll help you in any way I can, so please don’t give up.”_

_It was almost clichéd, but Airi realized she had never believed anyone more._


	16. Chapter 16: Fissure

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 16: Fissure

* * *

The party ended before it got too late, and Youta and Airi walked home side by side for the first time in a while. Tetsuya had given the twins a glance like he had wanted to come, but respected their distance. Youta wouldn’t have minded otherwise, but had been serious about needing a bit more time. After all, he had been the only person Airi had relied on for years until now.

By the time the Watanabe twins made it to their neighborhood, the sun was starting to set already, a vibrant pink predominating over the oranges and yellows. Youta did his best to paint the picture for Airi, even if he felt a little rusty after weeks of not being able to do it. She still smiled, though, all the reassurance Youta needed to know it was alright.

Lights were on inside their house, something Youta thought would take a while to get used to. He and Airi had gone so long without their parents around that having two others in the house felt a bit intrusive. Even so, Airi stepped inside with no worries, a call of “We’re home!” catching Noboru’s attention.

“Welcome back! Ai-chan, You-tan, come to the kitchen will you?” their father called. Youta had made sure to call ahead and let their parents know ahead of time where he and Airi would be going—no need to have another incident of miscommunication like before. Airi took her time in setting her shoes in the entrance, and Youta did the same, his sister finishing first and walking ahead.

“Oh, is something happening, Otoo-san?” Youta heard Airi ask from the kitchen. He ran up the hall to catch up with her, slowing down as not to get scolded. Youta had been expecting to see the kitchen in one piece again since Noboru had stayed home today, but the boxes were still scattered about.

Youta frowned.

“Sit, sit,” Noboru requested, waving his hand to the table. Airi was able to sit down on her own, but Youta waited until she was secure anyways before sitting in the chair next to her. “Ei-chan should be done with her bath any minute. There’s something we wanted to talk to you about.”

Youta didn’t like the sound of this. His father was the more cheerful parent, usually full of smiles and enthusiasm. And while Noboru’s smile wasn’t wavering, there was something in his voice, almost sort of a regret. Airi clenched onto her skirt under the table, and Youta knew it wasn’t just his imagination.

She had heard it, too.

“What sort of something?” Youta asked. Even if they were waiting for Eiko, he wasn’t about to lose any time. If it was something that needed to be done, his mother wouldn’t spare a thought in going through it, no matter what. At least with Noboru, there was a chance he would be more sympathetic, willing to change things.

Noboru’s eyes shot down to the table. This was definitely going to be bad. Noboru had never been the one to deliver any sort of bad news to his children, and it showed when he had to. Youta reached out for Airi’s hands, and she took hold of his. Finally, Noboru let out a sound in the form of a sigh. “It’s about our future as a family,” he said.

“You and Okaa-san aren’t going to—” Airi started, quieting once Noboru shook his head. Youta wondered where the worry had even begun with his sister. Sure, Eiko and Noboru sure weren’t a conventional pairing, but they had worked together for this long. No, a divorce wasn’t the kind of problem they needed to. Airi’s chest heaved in a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness…”

“I may have worded that a bit wrong,” Noboru admitted. _I’ll say,_ Youta thought. _You nearly gave Airi a panic attack._ Even now, his sister’s hand was at her chest as she breathed. “But no, Ei-chan and I are doing fine. No, this is a situation that all of as a family will be facing together.”

“And what is it exactly?” Youta asked, a biting tone to the question. This was no time to dodge around unpleasantries. “If it’s something important, I think we have the right to know.”

“No need to be so impatient, Youta,” Eiko reprimanded from the doorway. Her hair was down and she was in household clothes, but that didn’t make her presence any less striking. Youta hadn’t even heard her coming. His mother finished drying of her hair with a towel and slung it around her shoulders before she sat down.

Airi sat up a bit straighter, taking the diplomatic role she always did when it involved their parents. For whatever reason, she was just better at communicating with them than Youta could ever imagine. “Nii-san’s just worried, Okaa-san,” Airi said, a calm tone in her voice. “I’m a bit nervous myself. What exactly’s going on?”

Eiko gave a glance to Noboru, but returned her attention to her children soon after. Noboru moved his own gaze to his lap. “It’s about what all has happened recently. Considering the effects of Youta’s recent endeavors, we don’t think it will be possible to continue living here.”

“What?!” Youta exclaimed before he could stop himself, standing up and hitting his hands against the table. No, that wasn’t an option. Not after everything. “You can’t do that!”

“You-tan, please don’t shout,” Noboru attempted. Airi winced, her eyelids shut tighter together than usual. “We’re just worried. This isn’t to punish you.”

“Like hell it isn’t!”

“Nii-san,” Airi whispered, the small sound enough to cut through the conversation. “Please just listen. I’m sure everything will be fine if we understand the situation better.”

“Listen to your sister,” Eiko commanded, and Youta repressed a growl as he returned to his seat. “Now, as I was trying to say, this is more of a practical matter than it is a personal one. While it’s true your actions caused trouble, Youta, the true problem is the debt you incurred, both to the hospital and outside of it.” Youta winced. “As it is, with our income, moving here has been a huge financial strain. We were happy to do this for Airi’s sake, but as of now, it is almost not an option.”

Youta watched Airi, not believing how passive she seemed. She had to be bothered by this—wait, she was shaking a little, but wasn’t saying anything. Airi was engaging in her bad habit again, the one where she insisted on putting practical needs and desires before what she really wanted. Why didn’t she see that some things were worth fighting for, no matter the consequence?

“Unless we acquire a new source of income, there isn’t any way for this to work out,” Eiko finalized. Youta clenched his hands into fists, hoping the sting of his nails in his palms would help him produce rational thought. It didn’t. “I gave up a promotion at my old branch in favor of moving here. If I accept that, we’ll be able to manage the costs we need. Fortunately, my bosses agreed to still offer the position if I return to that branch.”

It was just like she said; there was no other way for this to work out. Youta had always known things had been tough for them—buying discount clothes and not having as many luxuries, owning the oldest possible cellphone model every school year—that was why they couldn’t have afforded the surgery in the first place. And while their parents did everything they could for Airi and Youta, it was tight.

“Then I’ll help work for it,” Youta suggested. Airi and Noboru turned to him in sync, and even Eiko’s eyes widened a little. “Like you said, this whole thing is my fault. So I should be able to take responsibility for it, right?”

“You-tan, your mother doesn’t mean—” Noboru tried.

Youta frowned. “Well _I_ do,” he said. Not even Airi bothered to argue with him. Her fingers twitched a little, though, enough for Youta to know she didn’t blame him. “I know very well that my actions are what put Ai-chan in the hospital. I _know that_. So why don’t you let me help?!”

“Even so,” Eiko said, “that won’t be enough.” She didn’t even deny what he said. At least they were closer to being on the same page. “I know your heart’s in the right place, Youta, but even if the school does allow you to get a job, no part-time affair is going to generate enough income to be as useful as going back to Sendai will.”

Airi reached out, tugging on the hem of his shirt. “Nii-san, it’s okay,” she pleaded more than she said. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to push it. This is for the best…”

He hated the way her voice sounded when she lied to him.

“No, it’s not,” Youta repeated sternly. “None of this is. Listen, I don’t care what it takes, we need to stay here. This is the _only_ place we need to be, no matter what. So I’ll quit school, I’ll get a full-time job, just please don’t make Ai-chan leave!”

In the end, this was just as much as about both of them as it would have been individually. Youta had prided himself on protecting Airi’s happiness, even if he had been wrong. Regardless, _that exact moment_ he was certain that he knew what she really wanted, and if Airi wouldn’t fight for it, he would.

This was no time to back down.

“Youta, listen to me—” Eiko started.

“No, you listen to me!” There was a collective silence around the table. Youta may not have always been the perfect kid, but he had never really argued with his parents, and there certainly had never been any back talking. It had always been for Airi’s sake, but _this_ was for Airi’s sake so— “I know you haven’t been here to see it, but Ai-chan started seeing someone, and he’s the only person I _ever_ want to take care of Ai-chan besides me, so leaving him isn’t an option!”

Youta had stood up again, but he didn’t bother to sit. No one told him to either. Airi had blushed darkly, and Noboru’s eyes widened. “Ai-chan, is that…?”

Airi nodded.

Eiko pursed her lips, eyebrows ranging lower than usual. Youta had the fleeting thought that his mother was going to end up with wrinkles way before her time. “I understand why you’re so adamant about this, but there’s nothing we can do,” she said. For some reason, Eiko looked the smallest bit saddened by what she had to say. “Even if we moved into an apartment instead, it would just make the strain harder on Airi…”

“Don’t you get it, Ka-san?” Youta asked, no longer yelling, but the hard tone remaining in her voice nonetheless. “Ai-chan’s been busting her ass so that she won’t be a hassle. She doesn’t care if the environment’s difficult; she just doesn’t want to be a burden. Why do you think she refused to use the damn cane you two got her in the first place?”

He could see it—almost a spark of recognition. They really hadn’t known. All this time and their parents hadn’t figured out that Airi wanted to be as normal as possible, how hard she had been working for it. They hadn’t seen the progress she had made.

But it still wasn’t enough. Eiko had always made decisions quickly, just so there wouldn’t be a _too late_. The argument was as good as over unless he had something else as leverage, and Youta didn’t.

_Time. We need more time._

“Ugh, fine! If you two won’t figure it out, then I will!” he declared before turning to Airi. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Ai-chan. Nii-san’s going to take care of everything, okay?” he whispered to her.

Youta kissed Airi’s forehead, racing out of the kitchen and down the hall to his room, locking the door for good measure. He didn’t even wait for her to nod. He knew she would.

He was going to get in trouble. It shouldn’t have been that much of an issue, though. Not if this worked out. Youta reached into his pocket, digging out his cellphone. Without hesitation, he scrolled through his contacts and dialed the number. They were limited on time. This was going to have to be quick.

While the phone rang, Youta allowed himself a self-depreciating chuckle. _Man, I must really be okay with this if I can ask him for help so easily._ The line clicked, and Youta didn’t even give the recipient the time to answer.

“Hey, Kuroko, I need to ask a favor.”

* * *

Airi didn’t feel like crying anymore. She’d had enough of that. Right now, she needed to be strong. Just because Youta had a plan, that didn’t mean he was going to have to do everything on his own. Breaking down into tears and making him worry wasn’t the way to do it.

So after she heard his door slam, the sound of Eiko’s chair scraping as a sure indicator she was about to take action, Airi said, “Please don’t blame Nii-san.” That was enough to make her mother pause. “He’s just looking out for me, like always. I know he got a bit carried away there, but…”

“Ai-chan, we don’t want to make things any harder than they have to be,” Noboru said. “If there was a way to make this work without having to leave, then we would. But anything short of a miracle just isn’t going to cut it.” He swallowed, head turning down towards the table. “Surely you understand?”

That was the thing. She did understand. She had always understood, just from paying attention to her parents. Back from when Airi used her eyes, it really just took a glance to see that she and Youta had less than new belongings, often from a secondhand store. Really, she knew just how hard Eiko and Noboru were working to get the standard of living they had now, and her blindness only made things more difficult.

But still—

“I don’t want to leave,” Airi admitted, her voice shaking more than she liked. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I like it here. I like seeing Nii-san play basketball again. I like Tetsuya-kun. I like being able to laugh and smile and not having to worry so much and Nigou and Aida-senpai and how everyone cares about us. I like having friends again!”

Because after she had lost her eyes, everyone had been too scared to approach her out of the fear of saying something wrong. It had been _six years_ of that, and she had had enough.

“Airi, we _can’t_,” her mother stressed. The pain was starting to show in Eiko’s voice, enough to be heard by more than just Airi’s ears. Things were getting closer to the breaking point, where there would be no going back.

_No._ She couldn’t think like that. Youta and Tetsuya both had said things would be fine.

Airi believed them.

“Just give Nii-san a bit more time,” she said. No, she _pleaded_. Her voice shook. That had been the look Youta had given her, the one that needed just a little bit more time to think things through. Surely, she could do that much. “We know it’s selfish, but _please_.”

She didn’t wait for their response. She couldn’t. This wasn’t news she could handle hearing on her own. Even as Noboru went to speak, Airi covered her ears and stood up, heading down the hall. Her parents’ voices were muffled, but she didn’t hear anything. Neither her mother nor her father stopped her. Airi didn’t know the reason, but she was grateful.

She almost tripped without feeling out the hallway, but she made it anyway, gripping onto the doorknob for final support. When she went to turn it, it was locked. “Nii-san,” she called through his door. She heard Youta’s voice, faint, but it wasn’t directed at her. “Nii-san,” Airi tried again, and this time the door opened.

“Come on,” Youta whispered. He took her hand and led his sister to her room, locking her door was well. He placed something on the floor, and Airi went to feel it. A backpack. Just as she was about to ask, Youta opened up Airi’s closet. “We need to be quick. I don’t know what to do right away, so we just need to go someplace where they can’t make us leave.”

At his last word, Airi repressed a sob. “I don’t want to leave…” she said, voice almost a whimper.

“Hey.” Youta stopped moving things around to step back in front of Airi, taking her shoulders. “Hey, hey. Listen to me, Ai-chan, I promise we’re not going to leave here. But right now, we can’t be in this house, so we just need to stay somewhere else for a little bit, that’s all. I promise.”

Airi swallowed. “Alright.”

“Atta girl. Now gimme a minute to pack things up and we’ll get going.” Youta crossed the room, shuffling around. Airi just stood by the door, waiting. If they were going to leave the house, it wouldn’t be so easy. Noboru would never let them leave, and Eiko would forbid it. “Here you go. Think you can handle walking for a bit with your backpack and your school bag?”

Airi nodded. Normally she would have argued that of course she could handle it, but was too preoccupied. Youta led her to the other side of the room and opened the window. That was their escape. Airi couldn’t remember exactly, but she thought her window opened up into the backyard. It would be easy enough from there.

“I’ll go first,” Youta said, dropping something out the window. He took Airi’s bags from her and did the same, then followed them. His arms reached back through the window frame, fingers brushing against Airi’s arms. “Hold on to my shoulders and try and get your legs through. There’s not much of a drop, but I’ll support you.”

“Alright.” _This is crazy._ Airi attempted it anyways. _This isn’t the way to handle this._ She failed the first time. _You can stay here._ She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to have her parents come talk to her and give excuses. _I need to do this._ She made it the second time, her sock touching the grass of their lawn.

“Perfect. I dug up some older pairs of shoes we had lying around so…” Youta unzipped his bag and offered the sneakers to Airi. Her fingers shook when she went to undo the laces, but she managed, slipping the shoes onto her feet. They pinched her toes once she tied them, but it didn’t matter. “Alright, let’s grab our bags and go.”

Airi slipped the backpack onto her shoulders, easily managing the weight. She would have to check what Youta had packed later. It didn’t matter now. “So where are we going?” she asked. She wanted to believe Youta had a plan, but there was always a chance.

“No need to sound so worried,” Youta said. Airi felt a tingle of embarrassment—she hadn’t meant to let her worry show in her voice. “We’re going to Kuroko’s. He said it was alright.”

Stupidly, Airi’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t the time to be embarrassed, either. She needed to be focused. “Let’s go then,” she said, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

Youta chuckled anyway, not saying a word as he took her hand and showed her the way.


	17. Chapter 17: Conference

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 17: Conference

* * *

“Oh, you must be Tetsuya’s guests!” the woman gushed when she opened the door. Youta hadn’t even been given the chance to say anything. That was probably for the best, though, considering he was a bit stunned. Really, a female Tetsuya was staring him right in the face, a smile way larger than Youta could ever imagine being part of the blue-haired boy’s expression.

“Nii-san, is something wrong?” Airi asked, trying to lean around him. Youta shifted so Airi could move as she wanted. They hadn’t needed to walk for long, but she had to be tired. “We are at the right place, aren’t we? You’re being too quiet…”

What was he even thinking? Youta had managed to crack enough jokes to make Airi smile on the way over, but she still had to be worried. They had just run away, even if Youta didn’t want to see it that way. He had at least left a note behind, another plea for more time. It would only work for so long, but Youta just needed to focus on the little victories to keep strong for Airi’s sake.

“And you must be the Airi-san I’ve heard so much about,” the woman continued, reaching out for Airi’s hand and shaking it. “My son talks about you all the time. Here, step forward, dear, so the shadows aren’t so thick. That’s better. Oh, you’re even cuter in person!” Youta couldn’t even bring himself to do anything; it was too shocking. Someone like Tetsuya had come from a mother like that? “And that makes you Watanabe-kun.”

“A-ah, yes,” Youta stammered, his hand getting the same treatment as Airi’s. For such a small woman, Tetsuya’s mother had a strong grip. “I’m Watanabe Youta. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Watanabe Airi. It’s nice to meet you,” Airi echoed, delivering a small bow. Youta would have done the same if his head wouldn’t have collided with the woman’s chest.

“Oh, you two are so well mannered! I completely forgot about introductions.” Tetsuya’s mother smiled. “I’m Kuroko Chinatsu, thank you for taking care of my son, Airi-san, Watanabe-kun.”

Youta wasn’t really sure if he needed to be included in that expression of gratitude. After all, all he had done was give Tetsuya a hard time, and Airi had spent way more time around the boy than Youta had. To be more accurate, it was like Tetsuya had been taking care of them. It would have been rude to argue, though, so Youta just nodded.

“Oka-san,” the familiar monotone voice said, “you really should let them in the house first.” Tetsuya appeared at his mother’s side out of thin air, and Youta was the only one that jumped. Of course Chinatsu would be used to him and Airi had always been able to pick him out. Maybe they could share tips or something.

“Ah, you’re right Tetsuya!” Chinatsu exclaimed, stepping aside. “Come in, come in, make yourself at home. It’s nothing special, but it should be good enough.” Youta took Airi’s hand and led her inside. Tetsuya shut the door as the twins set out on taking off their shoes. “How long were you two planning on staying again?”

Youta grimaced without meaning to. Airi turned to him, her eyebrows arching down. She didn’t want to leave town, but she didn’t want their family to be divided, either. Youta understood. He felt the same way, so they needed to work as quickly as possible. “A few days at the most,” he guessed, trying to think and appear positive. “We shouldn’t need more than that.”

Tetsuya put a hand on Airi’s shoulder, who smiled at the contact. Chinatsu nodded, her long, light blue hair bobbing with the movement. “Alright, that should be no trouble at all. Feel free to stay as long as you need to.”

“Thank you so much,” Airi whispered, standing back up. Tetsuya’s hand hadn’t changed its position.

“It really is no problem, dear,” Chinatsu assured. She made eye contact with Youta, but didn’t neglect looking at Airi, either. “Our guest room is free, and kids need to do interesting things while they’re growing up.” _Interesting things_ didn’t cover the half of it. “Well, you all ate at that party of yours, but there’s food in the kitchen if you need any. And Souta won’t be home until later, so that takes care of introductions. Tetsuya, would you mind showing them to the guest room?”

“Of course.”

Chinatsu nodded again at her son’s response. “Well, I’ll get out of your kids’ way, now. It was nice to meet you!” The woman turned down the hallway, disappearing once she turned to the right.

Tetsuya turned to the Watanabe twins, most of his focus on Airi. “The guest room is upstairs, okay?” he said.

“Alright,” Airi replied. Youta just nodded, not wanting to sound redundant. Tetsuya took Airi’s school bag so that he could hold her hand. Youta was alright with letting them walk ahead, but Airi reached back, hand groping in the air until Youta was holding onto her as well. Airi smiled a little, and they let Tetsuya lead the way. “Chinatsu-san seems nice, Tetsuya-kun.”

Tetsuya smiled a bit at the words, but Youta frowned. It may have just been his imagination, but Youta had the feeling that Airi was avoiding the word _mother_. “She can be a bit forgetful at times, but she does her best,” Tetsuya agreed. “She barely even hesitated when I asked if you could stay over.”

Now Youta felt bad. His request had not only been selfish, but it had been sudden. The only way it could have been more last minute would have been if they had just showed up on the Kurokos’ doorstep! Even so, he was grateful that this had worked.

They stayed silent while climbing the stairs, letting Airi focus. She normally didn’t have trouble with these sorts of obstacles, but she adamantly refused the railing in favor of keeping hold of her brother and Tetsuya’s hands.

“This is it,” Tetsuya said, opening the door to the room. Youta surveyed the place as they walked Airi to the bed, sitting down on either side of her. It wasn’t much bigger than their own rooms at the house, and all the furniture was against the walls, limiting the chance of Airi tripping—Youta wondered if it had been like this or if Tetsuya had moved things before they got there. “Now, I didn’t ask questions because it sounded like an emergency, but what exactly happened?”

Youta wondered where to start. That had been part of the reason why he hadn’t explained things before, aside from the time limit. Now that they were out of the house, that factor was gone, even if the content of the explanation remained a mystery.

“Oka-san and Otoo-san said we need to move back to Sendai,” Airi said, her voice a whisper. Her grip was starting to cut off the circulation in Youta’s fingers, and the same was probably true for Tetsuya. The latter’s expression, as always, was unreadable to Youta. “Nii-san got into a fight with them about it and we left. They said we won’t have enough money to pay the bills otherwise…”

Finally, Airi’s voice caught, the sharp intake of air signaling tears. Youta brought his free hand to try and wipe them away. How long had it been since she had cried? He couldn’t remember. And all this time he had been trying to be strong when Airi had been capable of standing on her own all this time.

_I’m such an idiot._

Tetsuya frowned a little. Youta wished for the other boy to be more expressive, even if it was just a little. Youta _knew_ Tetsuya cared, but at times it was hard to convince himself. “We could talk to the Basketball Club, see if we could pull together some more money,” Tetsuya supplied, though Youta got the feeling even the blue haired boy knew it was weak.

“Money could help, but it isn’t going to solve the real problem,” Youta said, trying hard not to spit out the words. He expected Tetsuya to look at him in confusion, but not Airi. “You didn’t notice, Ai-chan? Oyaji was fidgeting all over the place. They were still hiding something.”

“They were?” Airi asked, frowning. She didn’t believe it. How could Youta just _expect_ her to believe it? “I don’t understand, Nii-san, what would they have to lie about?”

Airi was hurt by the idea. Youta didn’t want to make it worse, but she had asked the question, and this wasn’t really the time for anyone to be coddled. “It means that the money is just an excuse. Not any less serious of a problem, but an excuse.” Youta sighed, trying to take some of the frustration out of his voice. “I don’t know how they talked about things with you, Ai-chan, but when they were with me, they made it very clear that they don’t think that this place is safe for you.”

“Safe for me,” Airi repeated, a tone of disbelief in her voice.

“What do you mean?” Tetsuya interrupted. Youta wasn’t sure, but he thought it was the other boy’s way of showing interest.

“What it means,” Youta said, “is that they were against the idea of moving down in the first place.” Airi opened her mouth, but Youta shook his head. “They liked it up there. They knew the area, knew all the people and had solid resources. The reason they agreed was because Oyaji talked Ka-san into it. He understood how much you wanted to be independent, and recognized that moving into a new area could help you with that.

“They never told you this, Airi, but I overheard them. They picked Seirin because it was small, and that would make it easier. They also thought this neighborhood would be peaceful, free of trouble. Ka-san’s a realist and knows it’s not entirely possible, but I think if she could find a danger-free bubble to put you in, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it.”

Youta stopped there. Airi could put together the implications. Since he had screwed up, the illusion of safety was gone. If Youta had managed to get into this much trouble within a month, how much more would follow in the next month, in a year? At least when they were in Sendai, Eiko had a handle on the environment and knew how to deal with trouble in the small chance that it came up.

“This isn’t what I wanted,” Airi finally said. She was shaking, but there was more of an angry tilt to her eyebrows than a sad one. “Why didn’t they just say any of that? I would have understood. I wouldn’t have asked to come here if that’s what they were worried about.”

“I think they might have known that,” Tetsuya said. Youta was tired enough to not be able to come up with an argument. Airi only turned to Tetsuya, patient as always. “It’s true that I’ve never met them, but I’m sure they know you by now, Airi-san. If you knew about it, you wouldn’t have asked. I think they wanted to give you that opportunity anyway.”

Airi finally loosened up her grip, letting go of Youta’s hand but still holding onto Tetsuya’s. Youta didn’t mind, rubbing his fingers to return the feeling to them. “I guess that makes me the one to blame,” he said crossing his arms. “I mean, I brought the trouble they were worried about. It’s frustrating knowing things were going to be fine otherwise. Sorry, Ai-chan.”

“I’m not mad, Nii-san. I mean, I don’t want to leave, but…” Airi’s voice faltered, but she still smiled. “I guess if that’s the end result, it can’t be helped.”

Tetsuya frowned, and it was enough for even Youta to notice it. “Wasn’t the point of coming here because you want to stay?” he asked, and Airi’s smile dropped. “I don’t mean to be too imposing, but I would rather that you stay here, Airi-san. So if it’s possible, I’d like it if you didn’t leave.”

Airi paused. Youta had to agree with Tetsuya, even if the other boy hadn’t directly said it. Airi tended to prioritize other’s needs over her own, and no matter how much she wanted to stay, she would move back if their parents really needed to.

“Don’t give up, okay, Ai-chan?” Youta said. “You told me earlier that you didn’t want to leave, so just hold onto that desire a little bit longer. I’m sure with everyone’s help we can stay here. So don’t you worry about making others happy. You’re the most important one right now.”

He watched Airi. She fiddled with the smaller of her braids, like she always did when she thought. He wondered if it was strange for her, the idea of prioritizing herself over others. It probably would be. She had always been selfless, no matter what. Youta just hoped that the motivation he had given would help her to at least consider herself first for once.

“You’re right,” she said, and Youta almost sighed in relief. “I don’t know about being more important than others, but I should at least respect my own feelings.” Tetsuya nodded his approval, and Airi smiled. “I believe in you both, so let’s try to find a solution we all can be happy with as soon as possible.”

“You got it,” Youta agreed, feeling more confident even though they hadn’t really made any true progress. Somehow, with Airi cheering him on, everything seemed easier.

* * *

“Man, that’s pretty harsh,” Miura commented, his arms folded behind his head. Whenever he took a step, his schoolbag bounced against his shoulders. While they didn’t really live in the same neighborhood, the route Tetsuya took to school after the train ride happened to coincide with the upperclassman’s that day, so he had joined the trio. “Hm, what could be a good solution to this? Oh, I know, a mysterious benefactor swoops in and pays off your debt!”

It was clearly meant to be a joke, and Airi smiled, laughing a bit. “Isn’t that a bit too much of a _deus ex machina_, Miura-senpai?” she asked, almost playing along. She seemed to have cheered up from when she had arrived on Tetsuya’s doorstep, but the boy was still worried. Not only did she eat less than usual at the breakfast table that morning, Tetsuya couldn’t help but be concerned about the problem from his own perspective.

Even if it seemed impossible, he definitely didn’t want Airi to leave.

“We already tried the charity route and it didn’t go so well anyway,” Youta grumbled. There was a bit of resentment in his voice, but Tetsuya didn’t take it personally. The charity tournament and the accident were linked together in almost everyone’s minds. “We’d probably have better luck with my lottery tickets than that.”

“Are you still buying those?” Airi asked, and Youta gave a small nod.

“They’re obviously the cheaper ones, but I figured I might as well try anyway…”

The combined confusion from Tetsuya and Miura must have been in some way tangible to Airi’s senses, because she said, “Nii-san started spending part of his allowance on lottery tickets once we got to middle school. Things were kind of tough since I was still adjusting to losing my eyesight, so he got into the habit hoping he could win enough money for me to get the surgery.”

It was amazing how she could talk about sensitive topics like they were nothing. Even though Tetsuya understood what she was saying, it took him a moment to realize just what sort of things she was dealing with. Maybe that was part of her desire to move on past about her blindness—if you didn’t talk about problematic things like they were an issue, then they were suddenly easier to deal with. You could even smile while you mentioned them like Airi did.

“Eh, no way, Youta-kun, you’re that kind of guy?” Miura asked, letting out a gasp. “I thought you were just the type to only get in fights over your sister’s honor, but you do those sorts of things, too?” He laughed. “You’re way cooler than I thought.” It was a joke, bait not even worth taking, but Youta went for it anyway.

“What do you mean by ‘way cooler’?” Youta retorted, a growl in his words. “I already attacked you for being lame and picking on people, don’t go ahead and make things worse for yourself.” Tetsuya almost thought he was going to need to intervene, but something seemed off. Part of the tension that snuck out through Youta’s eyes when he was around Miura wasn’t there anymore.

Tetsuya looked to Airi for confirmation that there was nothing to worry about. Sure enough, she was smiling, understanding Youta’s body language without even needing to see it. She was laughing a little, a surefire sign that everything was okay, too, except…

“You’re crying,” Tetsuya said, keeping his voice soft. Miura and Youta heard him anyway, stopping their banter to look back to Airi. Her hand met her face at the same time Tetsuya’s got there, both of them aiming for the tears.

“No, no, don’t worry,” Airi said, even if it was a futile statement given that Youta and Tetsuya were in her company. “I’m just really happy is all… Nii-san, you haven’t been able to bicker with someone like that in such a long time, so I’m glad that you’ve made a friend again.”

Youta immediately went to protest, but was cut off by Miura swinging an arm around his shoulder. “Ah, I knew it, Youta-kun, you do like me!” the older boy said, Youta trying to get out of his grip.

It may not have looked like it on the outside, but Tetsuya had to agree with Airi. He was a bit ruder, but it was still more open than he had been before. Judging by Airi’s words, he had cut himself off before, so this was definitely progress, and it was caused by the people and experiences here.

It was just another reason for them not to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Asperger Hero for the comment! Your story idea sounds like fun, and I wish you the best of luck.


	18. Chapter 18: Commotion

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 18: Commotion

* * *

Miura joined them for lunch, coming down from his classroom to theirs, and then after school, too, and Airi felt her happiness from that morning grow a bit more. Somehow, what had once been just her and Youta’s desks had grown into a larger cluster, four people gathered around as they chatted over a mix of bento and school lunches. It was livelier than Airi could have ever imagined, and she realized that Miura wasn’t just Youta’s friend, but hers, too.

She still felt reservations about going against her parents’ wishes. Part of her knew that Youta and Tetsuya were right—she really did prioritize others a bit too much, and sometimes it was okay to focus on her own wants. Even so, there was a limit somewhere, the idea that there should be a balance between desire and practicality. And while staying at Seirin meant a lot to her, Airi wasn’t sure if it was the best thing to do.

She was willing to give everyone else a chance, though. Everyone seemed willing enough to help, and they had pulled through with their best effort before. Part of Airi suspected that whatever it was wouldn’t be enough, but she had to let them try.

No matter how practically she tried to look at it, Airi couldn’t stand the idea of not allowing them to do at least that.

“But in all seriousness,” Miura said, “you guys mentioned that this is a time-sensitive issue. I get that we need to be fast, but how fast exactly is that?”

Youta seemed to grip onto his chopsticks a little bit harder, stopping before bringing the food and utensils to his mouth. “Oka-san has always been pretty strict,” he said. “It’s never been too much, but the best way for her to advance while at work has been to work as quickly, efficiently, and productively as possible.” Airi nodded in agreement. That attitude of Eiko’s had never been overbearing, but it hadn’t really disappeared, either. “So to be honest, I don’t know our exact time frame. I’d say a few days at the least.”

Miura made a sound of pain in his throat. Airi wondered if he had winced. “That’s pretty tough. I don’t know what all we can do about that, then, but I’m sure if we get some extra help, we can come up with something.”

“I can ask the basketball club,” Tetsuya added. Airi felt a bit bad but didn’t object. The Seirin Basketball Club had already done so much, and they were going to be starting their Inter-High preliminary games soon. It was another burden to add onto someone else, but Airi didn’t see what other choice they had. Tetsuya reached out for Airi’s hand, probably noticing her discomfort. “You heard Coach. You and Youta are an important part of this team. We don’t mind helping you at all.”

“Oh, so you’re all in the basketball club, then,” Miura commented. Airi could almost hear the grin in his voice. “Heh, Wata-chan’s pretty cute. I’m sure you pull in all sorts of people with a manager like her.”

Airi shook her head faster than necessary, the smaller of her braids hitting against her face with a bit more force than she had expected. “No, no, I’m not the manager at all,” she protested. “I don’t think I’m really suited to a job like that. I just cheer on everyone, so I’m more of a cheerleader than anything…”

“Oh ho, even better! Too bad I’m no good at sports or I’d join up right away. Best of luck, then, you guys. I’m sure with Wata-chan around your membership will skyrocket!”

“Oi, bastard, just who do you think you’re talking about there?” Youta inserted in a good-natured growl. This was the part of Youta getting worked up that Airi didn’t mind. He was way more energetic this way, and would end up laughing in the end. After years of him being protective and shutting out others, Youta really was more lively this way. “Just so you know, if I hear rumors about the basketball club’s cheering section, you’ll be the person I’ll beat up over it…”

Miura nodded proudly, laughing himself. “I’ll keep that in mind, then. Though if I word it differently, does that still count?”

“I’d prefer it if my girlfriend wasn’t used as a bargaining chip to gain members for anyone,” Tetsuya interrupted. Airi couldn’t help it; she still felt a silly burst of happiness in her chest at the words. She was his girlfriend. “Besides, Coach wouldn’t want people that would join for such a reason on the team anyway.”

“That’s the truth,” Youta grumbled. Airi could imagine the sort of rant Aida would go on easily. The club’s training regimen would probably also be increased to some ungodly levels as a result, too. “Still, I think asking the club might be a good idea. There’s a lot of weird but different ways of thinking between them, so it should help out.”

“Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun,” the voice of Onishi Rina called. Airi started a bit, having completely missed the approaching class representative. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Hara-sensei said to deliver a message. He’s busy right now, but he’d like to talk with you after classes. He didn’t tell me what it was going to be about, though, so I can’t pass it on.”

“That’s fine. We’ll be there,” Airi said, her mouth turning dry. Youta looked to her as Onishi gave her farewells and walked off. The between the two of them, the twins understood what was going on without needing to be told. Airi reached for her brother’s hand, and their fingers squeezed each other’s.

_We don’t have a few days at all._

* * *

Standing in the teachers’ office wasn’t too different from the last time Airi had done it, with the exception of Youta standing beside her The circumstances were similar as well, which only made the scenario seem more surreal. With a sigh, Hara-sensei looked up from his desk at the twins.

“While I’m glad to have you two attending school regularly again, I’m afraid to say that we have some cause for concern again,” Hara said. Airi had been preparing the whole day, so she didn’t feel as nervous as she could have. Youta seemed to have the same amount of resolve about him. Hara shifted at his desk. “I received a call from your parents this morning saying that you two were to stay at school until they picked you up. Given the circumstances, it sounded more like an order than just a suggestion. After all, if they wanted to tell you something, why couldn’t they have just contacted Watanabe-kun by cell phone, am I correct?”

Youta flinched a little, small enough that Airi was probably the only one to notice. “I forgot to charge my phone last night and it died off,” Youta said. Airi didn’t know if the words were true or not, but there was a chance they were a lie. “Ai-chan doesn’t have a phone of her own, so they probably needed to call you to have a chance at contacting us.” Youta bowed his head slightly. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Even so,” Hara continued, “the fact remains that they wish for you two to stay within the faculty office so that they know where to get you.” The teacher sighed again, this time the sound directed downwards. “Listen, I understand that there are some things families wish to keep private, but if you two are having troubles, we faculty are here to help you. It’s okay to rely on us.”

Airi frowned. Hara was good at saying the words, but there was a tired tone to his voice. It may not have been on purpose, but it was clear he was only asking so that she and Youta didn’t cause any more trouble for the school. She pursed her lips a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry, Sensei, but I mentioned this before,” she said, keeping her voice somewhere between warm and hard. “In our house, we consider family matters to be handled within the family. This is something we’re working towards figuring out. Any problems you think we’re having are preferred by our parents to be worked out between ourselves.”

Though, really, when she thought about it, that was more of her mother’s policy than it had ever been her father’s. Even so, Noboru agreed that it was a good idea so they wouldn’t bother others with any problems they may have. Regardless, it was the perfect excuse to not have to explain anything.

Hara left a silence in the air, though another sigh wouldn’t have sounded too far out of place. “Alright,” he allowed. “But as per your parents’ request, you two should stay here. They said they should be here within a half-hour of school letting out. There are some extra chairs by the door you can use.” That being said, he turned back to his desk, starting to shuffle through papers that were probably the assignments the class had turned in today.

It was easier to navigate the faculty office with Youta by her side, and Airi even started to formulate a mental map of the place. Making it to the door, the twins sat down, their fingers meeting instantly.

“Crap, this is bad…” Youta muttered, more to himself than anything. “I knew they’d try to corner us, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. And it’s not like we can just walk out the door with all these teachers here.”

“I’m sure they’re not trying to hurt us,” Airi said. She believed it, too. Youta should have believed it, considering he was the one that recognized just what lengths Eiko and Noboru would go to keep them safe. “I bet they’re just worried. We did run away last night.”

“Still, this is—”

Airi heard something, even over her brother talking. It was down the hall, and the door was open enough to make catching it easy. She might have been losing her touch due to the stress, but it sounded like basketballs, mixed in with the bark she was certain was Nigou’s.

“Nii-san, did you hear—”

She didn’t even get to finish. Sure enough, the sound got louder, something hitting against the legs of the chair she was sitting on. Airi reached down, feeling the familiar texture of a basketball under her hands, just as the dog running down the hallway barked several times in a row.

There was the sound of a chair screeching against the floor, footsteps heading out into the hallway. “Hey, what’s going on here?” Hara called, his voice disappearing from the room. “Sheesh, this is a big mess.”

“Sorry!” Aida’s voice called from further in the hall. “We were moving in some new equipment and things got knocked over when this dog came running in. We think it got loose from its owner.” Airi couldn’t believe it. It was so surreal. “Sorry, Hara-sensei, but could you maybe help us out? A few of them went down the hall, but most of them are over by the shoe lockers.”

The sigh Hara had probably been holding in was let out. “Fine. But let’s make this quick, okay?”

His footsteps went down the hall towards Aida. Airi sat still, not sure of what to do. Youta did the same. Hara had been the only teacher in the office at the moment. Should they run? It would be a good opportunity to do so, but it was dangerous. There was no guarantee it would work.

“Let’s go, Airi-san, Watanabe-kun,” Tetsuya said, his hand touching Airi’s shoulder. She couldn’t respond, still awestruck by what was going on. “It’s a pretty big mess, but we still don’t have much time. We should get going.”

Airi understood the small bit of urgency in Tetsuya’s voice and stood up. She at least had her bag with her, but with the mess by the shoe lockers, she would have to make due with her indoor shoes. Youta didn’t hesitate, standing up and looking into the hallway before running down it, Tetsuya leading Airi to do the same.

“How?” she asked. It still felt like a dream, like some desperate scenario her brain had come up with in order to avoid the truth of what was going to happen. But Tetsuya’s hand held tightly onto hers, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“It was Miura-senpai’s idea,” he answered, his breath starting to quicken as he spoke. “He figured you two were in a jam, so he went to the Basketball Club for help. It was crazy, but we went for it.” He stopped talking for a moment, slowing down to push open a door. The breeze and smell of outside air washed over Airi. “Now let’s go home.”

Airi’s legs moved on autopilot. Everyone else was so willing to help, to make sure things worked out, and yet she was being indecisive, not worthy of their hard work. When it came down to it, if everyone was going through so much trouble, then it was rude of Airi to not decide what she wanted to work for.

_So in that case, I should start doing everything I can to stay._

* * *

When they made it back to Tetsuya’s house, Airi asked to lie down. Tetsuya felt a little bad; he and Youta were athletes, and while they had varying degrees of practice, Aida’s training regimens were more than enough to let them run for a while and not be troubled. From how much Airi was gasping for air, she definitely didn’t have the same stamina. It was actually impressive how long she had managed to keep up with them.

She hadn’t complained, either. Tetsuya knew she had to have understood the situation they were in, the kind where you had to act without thinking or else it wouldn’t work at all. And they had made it home safely, although just a little more tired than usual. Exhausted, Airi excused herself to go lie down.

“Dammit, now I owe that Miura guy one,” Youta grumbled, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. Afterward, he wiped the sweat off his forehead using his arm. “And you, too, Kuroko. Good job using your lack of presence to sneak past Hara-sensei.”

“It was nothing,” Tetsuya said, still catching his breath. He started heading for the kitchen, hoping for a drink. “I’m just glad it worked out alright. I’ll admit I didn’t think it would be so easy.”

Youta followed him, nodding. “Heh, I don’t even care how much trouble I’m going to be in when I finally go home.” Tetsuya poured a glass of water for himself and another one for Youta. The older Watanabe twin sunk into one of the chairs at the table. “Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re home Tetsuya, I thought I heard you come in,” Chinatsu said, walking into the kitchen. “How was your day, dear?”

Tetsuya hesitated, exchanging a glance with Youta. He had already explained part of the situation to his mother, but what they had done earlier wasn’t the best thing to bring up. “It was good,” he finally said, not knowing what other words would be safe.

Chinatsu smiled. “That’s good, sweetie. Oh! I just remembered. I got the strangest call earlier from the school.” Tetsuya was sure he visibly tensed up and he could see Youta do the same. Chinatsu’s smile was as serine as always. “They were wondering if I had seen Airi-san and Watanabe-kun around. I told them I hadn’t.”

Tetsuya relaxed instantly, and Youta let out a sigh. “Thanks, Oka-san.”

Chinatsu ruffled a hand through Tetsuya’s hair. He blushed a little, but Youta kept his mouth much. “No problem, Tetsuya. Just be sure not to cause too much trouble, alright?” Tetsuya nodded. “Good. Now I’m going to go shopping for dinner. Should I make anything special?”

“Watanabe-kun likes squid,” Tetsuya said. Youta tried to glare, but just ended up spluttering out a thanks instead. He probably hadn’t expected Tetsuya to remember. Chinatsu nodded in agreement, heading out after checking her purse.

“Man, you didn’t have to do that,” Youta protested. He folded his arms on the table and rested his head on top of them. “Oh well, it’s been a while since I had a proper sit down dinner that wasn’t awkward as hell, so I’ll take it. Thanks.”

Tetsuya sat down as well. “It’s no problem.” He took a drink from his glass, wondering if he should take a nap or not. “I guess we were lucky Oka-san doesn’t like interfering in what she considers my personal life…”

Youta scoffed. “Yeah, that’d be nice.” At some point, Tetsuya would have liked to ask what kind of people the twins’ parents were, but now didn’t seem like the time. He set it aside for later. “Though I gotta say, your mom’s kinda cool about this whole thing.”

Tetsuya had never really thought about it. His mother had always been accepting, only stepping in when asked or when he was visibly feeling bad. Things had gotten better for him when high school progressed, and he still talked to her every day, but they hadn’t had a serious conversation in a long time.

“Putting that aside, though, I got a favor to ask,” Youta continued. Tetsuya blinked. Youta had been stubborn about even talking with each other, and now he was requesting things. It was a strange thing to experience. “Don’t give me that look, Kuroko. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not appreciated.”

“Sorry,” Tetsuya said. Things were going to get more complicated if Youta could start to figure him out by just a look. Adjusting to Airi’s awareness had been hard enough.

“Whatever. The point is I want Ai-chan to be happy. She’s really been worrying about this, so I think she needs something to help out.” Youta hesitated, staring at his glass of water rather than looking Tetsuya in the eye. “And as much as I wanna be the one to do it, at this point you’re better suited. So what I’m asking is that since we have the day off tomorrow, so you two should go and do something.”

Tetsuya thought he understood, but it was better to check. “When you say something…?”

“Geeze, you heard me, didn’t you?” Youta sat up, crossing his arms and mustering a belated glare. “Ai-chan needs to cheer up, so take her on a date!” Tetsuya hadn’t really planned to protest, but the forcefulness of the request completely banished the thought from his mind.

_Then again, I don’t really think that even counts as a request…it’s more of a demand._

Keeping the words to himself, Tetsuya decided it would be better to focus on plans for his upcoming date instead. 


	19. Chapter 19: Selfishness

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 19: Selfishness

* * *

Tetsuya hadn’t exactly been ready to go on a date on such short notice, but he also wasn’t completely unprepared. He had been trying to come up with activities for potential dates since the trip they had taken to the park, and he was grateful for the consideration. His final plan wasn’t as detailed as Tetsuya would have liked, but it passed Youta’s requirements: take Airi out of the house and do something fun to make her happy.

“I don’t think I’ve been to this part of town before,” Airi mentioned, her hand locked together with Tetsuya’s. Due to the rush the twins had been in to leave their house, Airi claimed she wasn’t really able to dress up, but that didn’t bother Tetsuya. Airi was still Airi, and the dress she was wearing was just as cute as the last one. “Though I guess you have lived here much longer than me. What sort of place are we going to, Tetsuya-kun?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise,” Tetsuya said. He had debated about whether or not to keep their destination a secret, then decided to go ahead. Airi didn’t seem to mind not knowing, and her curiosity seemed to make her willing to walk faster than usual. To be honest, though, Tetsuya had mostly kept it a secret because he wanted to see how she would react.

Airi giggled a bit, smiling like usual. After she had rested the previous day, she looked normal again, but Tetsuya still wasn’t sure what she thought about all that had happened. “Can I at least know how long it will be until we get there?”

Tetsuya nodded, checking for incoming traffic before helping Airi go to cross the street. “It’s really close. We’ll be there soon.”

Airi fell silent after that, probably focusing on trying to learn from her surroundings. Tetsuya stopped to let her, wondering just how much she could figure out without being told. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine what sort of things Airi would pick out—footsteps from the other couples and people here, the rustle of leaves from the trees planted throughout the sidewalk, maybe even the smell of some food, the voice of a girl trying to bargain with a street vendor.

“A small shopping district then,” Airi concluded. “Although, that really doesn’t narrow down what we could be doing by much, though.” She let out a small sigh. “I’ll admit it, Tetsuya-kun, you have me stumped. I guess I’ll just have to wait until we get there.”

“Let’s go, then.” Tetsuya headed down the sidewalk, passing by several shops, Airi easily keeping in step with him. Coming almost to the corner of the block, Tetsuya opened one of the doors, the bell above the entrance jingling. Now in much smaller quarters, he slowed down his steps, guiding Airi to make sure she didn’t run into anything.

The shop was a small music store, less than half the size of one you could find easily in any mall, but that worked out better when Airi was involved. The size probably limited the selection, too, but Tetsuya didn’t think that would be too much of a bother. Airi had mentioned a few things about her music taste before, and a quick conversation with Youta confirmed that, while she had her preferences, she wasn’t exactly picky, either.

Airi had zoned in on her surroundings again, trying to register the area without being told. Tetsuya watched, the pout on her lips growing by the second. Giving in, she shook her head. “You’ve got me, Tetsuya-kun. I haven’t the slightest idea,” she said.

“Come on, I’ll help you figure it out.” Tetsuya glanced over the store, getting a general idea of how things were organized. There were CDs in most of the aisles, each with signs to point out the genre of each section. Lining the back wall seemed to be a collection of records, and closer to the front was a variety of music players and headphones across from the cash register.

Despite the store’s size, it still had a few stations mixed in with the CDs to sample music. Tetsuya tightened his grip on Airi’s hand and led her to the orchestral section. “Just give me a minute…” he said.

Airi nodded. “Take all the time you need, Tetsuya-kun,” she said, starting to play with her braid. With that blessing, Tetsuya turned his attention to the CDs, trying not to make too much of an audible clue for Airi as he sorted through them. A few minutes proved that it was necessary to give up on recognizing a name, so Tetsuya pulled out one at random, scanning the case against the sample station.

Airi tilted her head, but stayed silent. Tetsuya picked up the headphones, pressing one to his ear. It was working, wind instruments harmonizing. Airi perked up a bit at the sound, her ears far more sensitive than Tetsuya could imagine hearing. Before she could figure anything out, Tetsuya placed the headphones on Airi, adjusting them properly over her ears.

Something about the look on her face changed, a soft smile spreading over Airi’s lips. Her hand reached out to hold Tetsuya’s again, and he waited in silence, while she had the chance to listen to the sample track. He had been hoping to maybe share the experience with her, but it looked like the station only had one headphone jack.

It wasn’t too much of a trouble though. Airi seemed lost in her own world, however the music chose to portray itself to her. Tetsuya thought to ask about it later, but let it be for now. Some of the tension he hadn’t even noticed Airi had built up was disappearing, her shoulders sinking a bit. Without warning, Airi leaned on his shoulder. She wasn’t heavy, but the sudden addition of weight almost made Tetsuya lose his balance.

“I see,” she murmured, almost too quiet for him to hear. “This is what you were trying to do…” A smile formed in proper on her lips, Airi’s head turning up to face him. The hand she wasn’t using to hold Tetsuya’s with pulled the headphones down to her neck. “Thank you, Tetsuya-kun.”

The action set the music free again, the soft orchestra tune meeting Tetsuya’s ears again. “It’s not really anything special,” he said. “I just thought that maybe you would enjoy something like this. I’m just glad that you do like it.”

“Of course I like it.” Using her hands to follow the cord, Airi finally touched the surface of the station. Just as smoothly, she traced the plastic until she found the hooks for the headphones to rest on, then put them back. Her actions were done with the same precision as always, but something in the tone of her voice made Airi’s distraction evident.

“But it’s not enough to make you forget about what’s going on,” Tetsuya filled in, guessing at her words. Airi frowned a little, looking almost guilty, but she didn’t deny it. Tetsuya gripped harder onto her hand, releasing the pressure after a few second. “It’s okay, Airi-san. I understand.”

Airi shook her head, attempting to bring a smile back to her lips. It didn’t entirely work, but it was better than her feeling bad about it. “I didn’t want to make you worry,” she said. “We get to spend time together, so I should be happy, but I just…I’m having a hard time deciding what’s the right answer.

“I think that if I begged them, Oka-san and Oto-san would find a way to let us stay,” Airi confessed. “Everything that Nii-san says makes sense, but at the same time, I _know_ that money’s the core issue. Oka-san’s always been good at finding a way around things, though, so if I genuinely pleaded, she would work to make it possible. It would put a strain on us, but it would be possible…”

Airi’s voice trailed off. She still sounded guilty, as if it was an easy answer to a problem that she was withholding. “Even so, at the same time, you don’t want to put that strain on other people,” Tetsuya said. Airi nodded. “But the other part of you wants to stay, no matter what.”

“Because of you,” she whispered, her head not even facing Tetsuya’s direction. It was her way of how others would avoid someone’s eyes. It could have been annoying, but when Airi did it, it was endearing. “I really want to be with you, even if it’s going to cause trouble.” She let out a short laugh, single syllabled, the sound breathy. “This may not be what you want to hear, Tetsuya-kun, but I don’t like having thoughts like that. It makes me feel selfish.”

Tetsuya shook his head. “No, that’s fine,” he reassured. “I didn’t want to pressure you, but I really do want you to stay, too, no matter what. So we’re both selfish.” He hoped that was enough to make Airi feel better. She didn’t look any less worried, but at least her anxiety wasn’t getting worse thanks to him. “Airi-san, do you own a music player?”

“You mean like an MP3?” Airi’s confusion was evident in her voice, beyond the point of a question mark. Tetsuya nodded his confirmation. “No, never. Nii-san and I use the same CD player at home, but that’s about it…”

Tetsuya didn’t need to wait for the rest of her answer. He tried not to walk too fast, for the sake of avoiding pulling on Airi’s arm. She followed his movements, and Tetsuya finally let go of her hand once they were in front of the display of music players. There were a number of display models out, and he picked up one, placing it into Airi’s hands.

“Let’s find one you can use without needing to see it,” he said. Airi actually jumped in surprise, almost dropping the small MP3. Tetsuya caught it, securing the device between their hands. “Don’t worry about the price, either. I’ll buy it for you.”

“You don’t have to,” Airi protested. Tetsuya had seen her reaction coming and didn’t let it affect his determination. “Like I said, Nii-san and I have a CD player we can share, and I can kind of use it. You don’t have to go through the trouble—”

“Airi-san.” Tetsuya didn’t like interrupting her, but it was better than having her waste words. This was something he didn’t want to budge on. “It’s not any trouble at all. I’ve saved up some money, so let me do this.” Airi closed her mouth, and Tetsuya hesitated a bit. “I don’t want to think that you leaving is possible, but I know it is. So in case we can’t make this work, let me get you something that you can remember me with, okay?”

Airi took a shaky breath, tilting her head down to the floor. Tetsuya moved his hand to her shoulder, hoping that she wouldn’t cry. After another deep breath, Airi nodded, her fingers starting to probe the MP3 player’s surface. It took her a few minutes, but she finally asked, “Is there one that has more defined indentations on the buttons?”

“I’ll look,” Tetsuya said, a faint smile on his lips. She had accepted his offer, and the implications with it. He looked over some of the other models, and Airi once again used the security cord to return the merchandise to its proper place.

It took a few trial and error attempts, but they finally found a suitable one. It fit into Airi’s hand easily, and the buttons were big enough, their markings distinguishable at the touch. It even had a clip in the back that Airi could fasten to her clothes. They spent a few extra minutes on finding the right headphones, too. Tetsuya didn’t know what exact criteria Airi had, but in the end, she seemed satisfied, and they checked out, planning to take a walk down the street in search of something to eat.

“You know, this isn’t what I imagined it would be like when we moved,” Airi said. Tetsuya had tried to carry the bag for her, even if it didn’t weigh much, but she refused. It swung at her side, rustling in time with their footsteps. “I thought that maybe it would be quiet here, something close to an ordinary high school life.” They stopped walking, Tetsuya tending to the crossing signal. Airi took the chance to turn towards him. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

“I’m glad, too,” Tetsuya agreed. “It hasn’t been perfect, but I don’t think it would have been the same otherwise. So, even if you do leave, I think I can be satisfied with this.”

Airi nodded. Her hand gripped onto the plastic bag’s handle even tighter. “So can I.”

Tetsuya took a deep breath. “And it’s less than two years until we finish high school. I haven’t picked out where I want to study, but I want to attend university, and so do you. So if at all possible, I’d like it if we could go together. So just in case, promise that you’ll wait.”

Airi blushed, but she didn’t look away. “I’ll promise as long as you do,” she agreed.

Tetsuya considered kissing her, but he didn’t. The crosswalk signal changed, and they walked across the road, the unspoken promise following them in the spring breeze.

* * *

If adjusting to Chinatsu had been difficult for Youta, Nigou was a whole different complication all on his own. At least when it came down to it, the similarity in looks between Tetsuya and his mother was to be expected—they _were_ genetically related after all. However, Youta didn’t understand what probability in the universe had allowed for Kuroko Tetsuya to end up with a dog that looked _just like him_.

No matter how much he tried to figure it out, it didn’t work. Youta even wracked his brain a better part of the morning after Tetsuya and Airi had left the house on their date. Trying to distract himself, he had offered to take the dog in question out for a walk to spare Chinatsu the trouble. Youta really just needed an excuse to stretch his legs. He had been stagnant for far too long.

Luckily enough, Nigou had seemed to have adjusted to having an athletic owner, so Youta was able to take a run without worrying too much about the dog. They stopped for breaks often for the sake of water, but Youta kept up a good pace that Nigou followed with and sometimes surpassed him at. Going for a run was really the best way for his brain to shut down, which, in the end, was probably what Youta needed.

He had been thinking nonstop since he and Airi had left the house on how to best fix their situation. Much to his annoyance, he really didn’t know, and neither did anyone else. He needed a hard reset, something to make him _stop thinking_ and have his subconscious do all the work, which would hopefully help him think better afterwards.

Youta didn’t know if it had worked, but at least he felt better once he made it back to the Kuroko household. Nigou still had some energy left, running away from Youta, then coming back to his side without ever pulling on the leash. Youta’s breath was still a bit shaky after a run, but he had been able to pick up the pace faster in increments since he had started practicing with the basketball club again, so it was a fair trade off.

Without any warning, Nigou stopped, a sharp bark cutting through the air. Tetsuya’s neighborhood was relatively quiet, and Youta attempted to hush the puppy, not wanting to disturb that. Nigou only barked again—_So much for him being a pretty smart dog_—and ran towards the house with enough speed to nearly yank Youta’s arm out of the socket.

“Hey, wait!” Youta spluttered, but to no avail. Nigou pulled Youta past the gate and down the sidewalk to the house, only stopping once his paws were almost on the doorstop. “Geeze,” Youta exhaled. The older Watanabe twin was doubled over, his palms supporting the rest of him on top of his bent knees. “What do you think you’re doing, you dumb dog? Couldn’t wait the extra half a minute it would take to get home?”

Nigou looked over his shoulder, almost giving Youta a pitying look. Youta scowled, and Nigou looked away, the dog’s attention averted back onto the doorstop.

It wasn’t until then that Youta noticed the person standing there.

It wasn’t for any particular reason, but he froze. Nigou remained stationary at his legs, and the older Watanabe twin was stuck in the awkward position of partially leaning over, halfway to standing up. A few unused muscles ached in his back, but Youta couldn’t focus on it.

Standing above him was a boy, dressed in far nicer clothes than Youta could ever imagine getting to see, let alone afford or own. His hair was a brilliant shade of red, standing out even more thanks to the dark color of the Kuroko home’s door. But, really, what stood out the most were his eyes, one the same as his hair, the other a golden yellow, triggering a realization that almost made Youta want to piss himself.

When he thought about it, it made some form of sense. However, that didn’t change the fact that fate was clearly messing with him, leaving Youta alone to deal with this scenario while Tetsuya—who clearly would have been most suited to handling this—and Airi were out enjoying their date, hopefully forgetting any care in the world.

_And sure, that was the whole point, but—_

Youta had no other choice but to accept the fact that this was probably karma still kicking him for everything he had done.

Even so, he didn’t think he had done enough to deserve being on the receiving end of Akashi Seijuro’s glare.


	20. Chapter 20: Impression

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 20: Impression

* * *

For some reason, Youta got the impression that Akashi Seijuro didn’t like Nigou much.

It wasn’t like the Rakuzan captain was actively showing disgust or anything of the sort, but there was just some vibe in the air that Youta couldn’t shake off. After being let in by Chinatsu, Nigou had followed the two boys into the living room for some tea, and it took Youta about four consecutive tries to get the puppy to sit down so the leash could be detached. Regardless, Youta couldn’t help but be the least bit grateful that he wasn’t on Akashi’s bad side.

_Sorry, Nigou, but that’s how it works,_ he mentally apologized, finishing fumbling with the leash’s hook and separating it from Nigou’s collar. The dog only turned his head and trotted away to his bed in the living room’s corner.

It seemed Youta’s apology was going unaccepted.

“Sorry that took so long. It’s just been such a long time since you visited, Akashi-kun, it took me a while to find your favorite kind of tea!” Chinatsu trilled, wielding a tea tray into the room and placing it on the table without the cups or pot rattling. “I’m sorry that Tetsuya isn’t home right now, though. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.”

Chinatsu sat down in an armchair to the side of the coffee table, smiling brightly. Akashi’s expression lost its glare as his focus shifted away from Nigou, but it didn’t brighten any more than that. “It’s no trouble,” the boy said, reaching for his teacup. “I have the rest of the day free, and since this is important, I’m more than willing to wait any amount of time necessary.” It was with a ridiculous amount of grace that Akashi took a sip of his tea and returned the cup to the table. “May I ask where he’s gone?”

“He’s on a date with Ai-chan,” Youta answered, even if he hadn’t been the one asked. Akashi turned to him, a not quite questioning look on his face. It was still somehow intimidating, and Youta broke eye contact by focusing on his own cup of tea. “My sister,” he clarified, missing a chunk of confidence from his voice that he hadn’t realized had gone missing. Hoping to regain his voice, Youta sipped at his tea.

“So then you’re Youta.” Youta almost choked from a combination of the tea’s bitterness and hotness, a Akashi’s knowledge of his name, and the sheer lack of honorific use. The redhead hadn’t even asked if that was right, just stated a fact. “Tetsuya did say you and Airi were staying here, but I didn’t expect to meet you as individuals…”

Youta tensed up a bit more. Akashi Seijuro knew about his existence. This was insane. Akashi was the leader of the Generation of Miracles, plus the captain of Rakuzan. Even though Seirin had defeated the team, that didn’t make their status any less intimidating. Having his tongue shrivel up from the bitterness of the tea wasn’t helping Youta’s nerves, either.

_And he just drank it with a straight face? I knew the Generation of Miracles was a bunch of monsters on the court, but this is just ridiculous!_

“So you haven’t met Airi-san, Akashi-kun?” Chinatsu asked. “Oh, she’s just the sweetest thing. She and Tetsuya are absolutely adorable together, too! Things have been difficult for her and Watanabe-kun, lately, which is why they’re here, but I do hope everything works out…” Tetsuya’s mother frowned a bit, starting to toy with the fabric of her skirt.

Akashi nodded. “Tetsuya did mention that there were troubles, which is why I came to visit.” Youta’s eyes flashed back to the redhead. The latter’s expression hadn’t changed, no matter how much the older Watanabe twin combed over it. He kept trying, but he couldn’t manage to get a read on Akashi, although it felt more like an intentional barrier than Tetsuya’s naturally placid expression. With precision, Akashi’s mismatched eyes locked onto Youta. “Ideally, I would speak to Tetsuya about the matter first, but since you’re here, I guess it’s a good enough place to start.”

“M-me?” Youta stuttered. It was probably for the best he had put his tea cup back down, otherwise it probably would have dropped it.

“Yes, you,” Akashi repeated, then continued without hesitation, “I have been led to believe that your recent string of incidents has caused some tensions in your family, mostly centered around money and Airi’s safety. Is this correct?”

There was a level of bluntness in Akashi’s voice that stung. Still, Youta was far past the point of it being acceptable to feel sorry for himself. “Yeah, pretty much,” he confirmed. “My mistakes and Airi’s stay in the hospital added a bit too much of a financial burden we can’t handle, plus convinced Ka-san that we can’t stay here anymore.” Youta glanced at Chinatsu. How much did she know? “I don’t think that’s fair to Airi, especially with her dreams, so I want to do everything I can to keep her here.”

Akashi nodded, confirming his understanding of the information. There was no need to elaborate. It was a bit concerning how much Tetsuya had presumably told his former captain about the situation, but if it could lead to help, Youta didn’t care much. “And aside from your current stalling tactic, what do you think is the best course of action?”

Youta winced. “I…I don’t know about specifics,” he admitted. While his brain felt less cluttered, going for a run hadn’t yet quite created an epiphany. “Best case scenario, I would want to show Ka-san that it’s safe here, because then she’d be more likely to work out something with the money. Still, I know there’s no easy way to do that in the time we have.

“That means the solution is to come up with the money we need, either in one giant burst or enough of an income change to make managing bills possible. I can get a job, but I won’t be able to earn much just starting out. Oyaji only earns so much as a journalist, and he has a more limited amount of time he can reasonably work. Ka-san just is just transferring in, and her promotion back at home is the only thing we can really see as giving us the boost we need, which is why she wants to move back. That being said, the only other way to get the cash we need is if something big like the lottery or a random donation happen, which the chances for are insane…”

Youta shut his mouth. He had already answered the question and had just ended up rambling afterwards. He went for his teacup again, despite the taste. He was at least a little bit more prepared this time, which made it the slightest bit more bearable. Out of the corner of his eye, Youta could see Chinatsu standing up and leaving the room.

Akashi exhaled, a soft sound that Youta barely picked up on. “Putting your sister aside, what’s the benefit for you if you stay?” Akashi asked. The question had too much of a casual tone to it for the subject matter, as if Akashi dealt with these sorts of scenarios every day.

_Putting Airi aside._ The idea had never really occurred to Youta, so it was weird to think about things like Airi wasn’t his whole world, and there was a definite gap in his thoughts without her. Youta didn’t quite get the point of the question, but he considered it anyway, assuming Akashi knew what he was doing. For a while, Youta couldn’t come up with anything, except—

_You could play basketball with everyone._

No, that was wrong. If they found a way to stay here, then Youta was definitely going to need to work in order to help out. Airi would be in Tetsuya’s hands, and Youta would probably have to leave school. If he was only considering himself, things would be better back in Sendai, where he and Airi would go to school together, and he could join the basketball team there instead.

“Not much, I guess,” Youta said. He glanced at Akashi, who was definitely studying him. “I mean, that is, if I’m just considering benefits directed at me. But, really, I don’t care. More than any of that junk, I just want Airi to be happy, so that’s it.” Youta shrugged, not knowing what else to add or what sort of reaction Akashi would have. Just what was the redhead trying to figure out with these questions anyway? “As long as Airi gets what she wants, then to hell with me. She won’t like that answer, but that’s all I have to give right now.”

Akashi didn’t say anything. He finally stopped staring down Youta, and the latter felt a pressure lift off his shoulders that he hadn’t realized was there. Akashi just went back to his tea, closing his eyes.

Youta had the feeling that the conversation was over, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Tetsuya had just finished paying the bill for the café, and was now waiting for Airi outside the restroom. Curious about the time, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, powering it back on. He had turned it off for the sake of prioritizing Airi during the date, but since the café was missing a visible clock, he had to cheat a little bit. A few seconds after starting up, his phone began to light up with alerts from his emails. There were only a few, and they could wait just a little bit longer until he got home.

Except that one was from his mother.

It wasn’t as if Chinatsu never messaged him—most of the times there were things about remembering family events or Nigou, wishing him luck in games or tests, and occasionally a request to pick something up on his way home from school—but she shared Tetsuya’s stance on texting while going out on a date, so she respected that boundary. The fact that she was breaking that rule had to mean that it was something important.

Tetsuya navigated his phone to the messages menu.

_I know you might not get this, but just in case—Akashi-kun came over to visit, and he and Watanabe-kun are talking about what’s going on with him and Airi-san’s family right now. I don’t want you to rush, but if you can, I think you should head home._

Tetsuya blinked. Akashi had come over to visit? The blue-haired boy hadn’t been expecting that, though he had been preoccupied with planning his date with Airi. Seeking further clarification, Tetsuya navigated through his messages again. His former captain’s name had shown up as one of his notifications, and sure enough, had been attached to a message.

_Tetsuya,_

_I have the afternoon free today, so I’ll be stopping by to visit. I would like to discuss the situation with your girlfriend’s family in further detail, and I think face to face is the best way to accomplish this. _

_As I had Kaizuto tell you, I’m willing to offer my help if you need it._

The door to the restroom opened and Airi emerged. Right on cue, she caught on to Tetsuya’s state of mind, tilting her head a bit in curiosity. “Is something wrong, Tetsuya-kun?” she asked. Her hands reached out for his, coming into contact with his phone. “Did something happen?”

Tetsuya wasn’t sure how to answer that. While something was happening, it wasn’t exactly anything wrong. Then again, he wasn’t sure what to expect with Akashi getting involved. And while the Rakuzan captain could probably find a solution, Tetsuya didn’t know if it would be one Airi would accept.

_Akashi-kun is powerful, but he’s still changing. I haven’t been around him enough to know how he’s been thinking lately. Kaizuto-san trusts him, but she’s always done that. And even if he can help…_

Despite what he wanted, there was still an uncertainty for Tetsuya when it came to Akashi.

“Akashi-kun is apparently at the house right now,” Tetsuya answered. Airi perked up a bit in interest. Even so, her enthusiasm didn’t stop Tetsuya from feeling bad. “I’m sorry to cut off our date, but it sounds like this might help us with your problem.” A bit of Airi’s excitement dimmed, but she seemed a bit more determined than before, her expression set. “Would you mind if we headed back?”

“That’s fine,” Airi agreed. Tetsuya returned his phone to his pocket before taking back her hand. “I feel bad for making people I haven’t even met get involved in this, though…”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Akashi-kun’s so stubborn he won’t change his mind no matter what you tell him.” In some ways, that was a strength just as much as it was a weakness. “If he wants to help out, I don’t think even Kaizuto-san could talk him out of it.”

For whatever reason, Airi repressed a giggle. Tetsuya couldn’t formulate a response, so he started to lead the way back to the train station. Somehow, he had the feeling that Airi had managed to understand something about Akashi and Kaizuto without ever seeing them together.

* * *

Airi took a breath to try and smooth out her nerves. Before, she had been excited about meeting Akashi, despite the circumstances. After the train ride and walk required to get back to Tetsuya’s house, she wasn’t sure she was ready yet. The travel time had been enough to remember everything she had heard about Akashi from Tetsuya, Youta, and even Kaizuto—how he was the leader of the Generation of Miracles, the captain of one of the top basketball clubs in the country, a member of the student council, as well as a prodigy. It was almost enough to make her head spin.

And apparently this person wanted to meet her, and over her family’s problems to boot.

“Airi-san,” Tetsuya said, a reassuring tone in his voice, “please don’t worry. I know this situation isn’t ideal, but I’m sure that things will be fine with Akashi-kun.” There was a bit of a tremble in his voice; not quite a lie, but almost like concern. Airi frowned a little.

“Tetsuya-kun,” she said. Her boyfriend stopped, not yet opening up the door. “I’m sorry, but it sounds like you’re worried, too. I know I’m having troubles right now, but you can still talk to me if you need to.”

“Ah.” Tetsuya almost breathed the sound. After a moment of consideration, Airi could sense his smile, even if it was just a small one. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” he apologized. Airi waited for Tetsuya to finish collecting his thoughts. “It’s just that I haven’t seen Akashi-kun since shortly after the Winter Cup. I don’t know what to expect is all.”

Airi nodded. While she had never encountered the scenario on her own, she could imagine somewhat what it would be like. “Well, we’ll be here for each other, so that should be enough. I mean, Akashi-san is your precious friend, right?” Tetsuya hesitated again, and Airi’s frown deepened. In the end, though, the boy nodded. “Then no matter what, it should be fine.” She found Tetsuya’s hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s go.”

“Right.” Tetsuya opened the door, and Airi was able to follow behind. While she had only been in the Kuroko house for a few days, she had worked at memorizing the layout to distract herself from her worries, so Airi could make it to the living room on her own.

“Ai-chan!” Youta exclaimed. There was a rattle of glass on glass, and Youta scrambled to stand up, his clothes ruffling against the couch. “I didn’t think you’d get back so soon. Listen, I don’t know what’s going on but I think—”

“Airi,” a new voice said. Airi almost shuddered. Behind Youta there was an undeniable presence, one that would be distinguishable in a crowd, almost like Tetsuya. The difference was that this presence was more outstanding, like it wouldn’t stand not being noticed. Airi had never encountered a person like this before. “This is our first time meeting. I am Akashi Seijuro.”

Airi couldn’t say anything. She just nodded. This was Akashi; there was no denying it now that she had the name. Somehow, the presence matched up perfectly with everything she had heard about him. And even if Airi never encountered him again, Airi knew she would never forget what being around him felt like.

No one else said anything, either. Tetsuya squeezed her hand, and Youta was pouting about being interrupted, but they both kept silent. Akashi didn’t continue his introduction, but Airi didn’t think he was waiting for her to respond. She didn’t think she could even if he was. But with the room silent, she understood.

Akashi was watching her, his eyes almost as powerful as his presence. Airi remembered what Tetsuya had said—about Akashi’s sense of observation. What was he seeing when he looked at her? What was he trying to figure out? Airi couldn’t tell. So she just waited, trying to imagine what his eyes would look like if she could actually see them.

Akashi’s gaze finally left her, though Airi had no idea where it had gone as a result. A bit of tension seemed to have left Tetsuya’s grip, and Airi felt herself release some as well. Whatever the Rakuzan captain had been doing, it didn’t seem like he was going to explain it, light footsteps padding away on the carpet and towards the hallway.

“Tetsuya, we need to talk,” Akashi said. While it wasn’t quite a command, Airi still felt herself let go of Tetsuya’s hand as her boyfriend nodded.

The former teammates left the room, and Youta came forward, taking Tetsuya’s place. The scowl was evident in his voice, replacing his former pout.

“Ugh, just what the hell was that all about?”


	21. Chapter 21: Marvel

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 21: Marvel

* * *

Akashi finally stopped walking once they were inside of Tetsuya’s bedroom, and the latter closed the door behind him. Part of him wanted to object to the forced privacy—really, at the very least Airi should be involved if the conversation was about her family, if not both of the Watanabe twins—but he didn’t out of habit. No matter how much time passed, Tetsuya had the feeling that he would always respect Akashi as his captain, and his wishes as a result.

That didn’t take away his nervousness, though. Still, Tetsuya wasn’t sure what to expect from Akashi. Kaizuto had seemed to be doing fine, but that could only be indicative of so much. Seeing the Rakuzan captain in person didn’t change much; somehow, Tetsuya couldn’t tell just who Akashi was. He wasn’t the person Tetsuya had won against at the Winter Cup, but the redhead wasn’t the same as he had been in middle school, either.

“Akashi-kun,” Tetsuya said, not knowing where else to go from there. Other than the message Akashi had sent him earlier, there hadn’t been much one-on-one communication between the two, and most of their conversations were in group threads shared by the Generation of Miracles. Tetsuya’s throat tightened a bit.

This had used to be so easy.

“Tetsuya,” Akashi supplied. Unlike the boy in question, though, Akashi didn’t falter with his next words. “I understand that this privacy may be unnecessary, but I was hoping to have a conversation that didn’t gain any unnecessary interruptions.” Tetsuya realized that maybe this was for the best—Youta didn’t exactly know how to keep quiet when asked, and while Airi would, she could just as easily complicate matters. He nodded. “I’m glad you understand. You see, I wanted to confirm a few things for myself.”

“What kinds of things?” Tetsuya asked. The words sounded stiff and unnatural, but he was trying. At least he had managed to ask what he had meant to.

Akashi gave a short exhale that wasn’t quite a sigh. “Just some simple things. Megumi told me what she saw about your and Airi’s relationship. I wanted to confirm that for myself before I made any rash decisions.”

Tetsuya’s curiosity peaked up a little. How had Kaizuto seen them during that short encounter in the hospital? It didn’t really matter much, though, so Tetsuya kept the thought to himself. “Then did we meet your expectations?”

Akashi chuckled a bit, the sound somehow light. Again, it wasn’t the same as before, but it was something. “As usual, you seem to find ways to pass my expectations, Tetsuya,” he said, the corners of his lips turning up a bit. For a moment, it felt like they were alright. “Even so, I still have some questions I wanted to ask, just to make sure.”

“Alright,” Tetsuya agreed. He didn’t quite know where this arrangement was going, but he knew it had to have a point. With Akashi there was always a point.

The redhead nodded his approval. “Like I said in my email and I had Megumi tell you beforehand, I’m willing to offer my help to the Watanabe family so they can continue to live here. However, my friendship is with you, Tetsuya, so it’s really your relationship that’s driving my interest. While it wouldn’t be a major loss either way, I don’t feel like I should offer assistance for something that could so easily break.”

The thought hit Tetsuya like Nigou jumping into his bed in the mornings, an unexpected impact against his chest. Things had been going so well with Airi besides the outside drama that Tetsuya hadn’t even considered the mortality of their relationship. He hadn’t even thought that far into the future yet. Still, while part of Tetsuya wanted to believe that he and Airi would stay together—they had made it through _this_ much, so surely—the fact that they were just a high school couple was suddenly obvious to him.

Akashi’s hesitation was well-warranted.

“What I’m saying, Tetsuya,” Akashi continued, “is that I want to believe in you from what I’ve seen, but in the end, you’ll have to deal with the consequences if the relationship doesn’t work out. I’ll in no way pull out my assistance over something so trifle, and Airi still has the benefit of being able to continue with her dreams of becoming more independent regardless of if she’s involved with you. You, on the other hand, don’t have as much of a benefit.

“So in the end, I’m asking if you’re willing to deal with that or not.”

Leave it to Akashi to look at every possibility that Tetsuya, Youta, and Airi combined hadn’t even considered. While they were busy clamoring about the present, Akashi was free to consider things in the long run, a viewpoint probably only possible because of his position as an observer. Thinking about it that way, putting forth the effort to keeping the Watanabe twins at Seirin ran the chance of not being worth it.

_But what if it would have worked out, and Airi-san and Watanabe-kun just leave? I know I said that I would come for her, but there’s a chance we’ll change our minds by then. But still, isn’t not trying much more of a waste?_

“I would rather know for certain than take guesses, Akashi-kun,” Tetsuya answered. “While there’s a chance it may not work out, right now it’s my honest desire to have Airi-san stay here. I would rather invest in that feeling than worry too much about the future. Regardless of the consequences, I’ll accept them.”

Even though he wasn’t smiling, Akashi looked pleased. “Just as I would expect from someone that used to be my subordinate,” he said. “In that case, I should be able to settle things with a few talks with Airi and Youta’s parents.”

The words came as an immense relief, and Tetsuya could feel himself smile without meaning to. There was no need to ask the details right away, since that sort of thing would best be handled in front of everyone more effectively. After all, Akashi wouldn’t have proposed a plan in the first place if he wasn’t certain of its success.

Tetsuya did have a nagging feeling though. Asking such questions wasn’t something Akashi usually did—he possessed an inborn ability to read those sorts of things from people after all. Was there something he was trying to understand beyond what his words had suggested? And furthermore—

“Akashi-kun, about Kaizuto-san,” Tetsuya said, not quite sure where he was going. What did _he_ intend to ask, anyway? What good would it do _now_ of all times, when he could be telling Airi and Youta the good news, when they could be solving their dilemma?

Akashi waited for a response. “About Megumi?” he prompted.

“You and Kaizuto-san,” Tetsuya tried again, unable to avoid a gap between his words, “you two should visit together next time. It’ll be nice to be able to talk together when there isn’t an emergency going on.”

Even though Akashi could easily read the words as not what was intended, he accepted them anyway. “That would be nice,” he agreed. “If we happen to find some time, we could do that. Perhaps after the Inter High is over.” Tetsuya nodded. “That can wait until later, though. For the matter at hand, though, your messages failed to indicate any exact time limit for the move. Is there one?”

“It didn’t sound like Airi-san and Watanabe-kun’s parents gave any exact time on when they would move back. We’ve merely been working on an ‘as soon as possible’ time frame,” Tetsuya answered. “So, if you could, I would like to ask that you possibly finish things up today, Akashi-kun.”

“That was my intention.” Tetsuya didn’t doubt it. “With that being said, it will be to our benefit if we head out as soon as I can have us picked up.”

As always, Akashi moved without hesitation, leaving Tetsuya to follow in his wake.

* * *

It took less than ten minutes for Akashi’s car to pull up—frickin’ limo, really, with a driver and everything—and soon they were taking the relatively short drive to Youta and Airi’s house. Other than the statement that he would take care of everything, Akashi hadn’t said anything else, and Tetsuya and Airi were exchanging whispers that Youta didn’t feel like it was necessary to listen in to.

Really, everything about the drive made Youta feel uncomfortable. This car was easily worth more than the three houses he had lived in over his lifetime and then some. It didn’t help that motor vehicles gave Youta a sick feeling in his stomach ever since the accident. The final factor was that he didn’t feel ready to confront his parents, even if Akashi did, and walking would have taken longer, and thus would have given Youta a chance to prepare himself.

Still there wasn’t much he could do about it except go with the flow. For better or worse, there was going to be a conclusion after this conversation, and it didn’t make sense to spend too much time planning for one of the outcomes with they were both equally possible. His brain hadn’t fully recovered yet from his run, anyway, so thinking on the part of the older Watanabe twin at this point in time was useless.

He wasn’t completely out for the count, though. Since looking at Akashi and the inside of his car was intimidating enough as it was, Youta’s eyes dashed around for a bit, not really seeing anything. While the car stopped for the moment, probably at some intersection or another, Youta managed to notice the small shopping bag Airi was holding on her lap, her hands covering up the logo. They had rushed out of the house so quickly the other day, and all the money they had had on them was reserved for feeding themselves. Whatever Airi had, Tetsuya must have bought it for her.

Youta swallowed without meaning to. Really, he hoped that Akashi’s mysterious plan worked.

When the car stopped in front of the Watanabe house, Akashi took the lead, stepping out of the car without hesitation. Tetsuya followed him, the connection between his and Airi’s hand causing the girl to follow. Only Youta was left in the car, and he hesitated before getting out himself. By the time he was standing on the sidewalk again, Akashi was already opening the door.

“Ai-chan,” Youta said. Airi stopped walking, turning her head over her shoulder, and Tetsuya’s gaze followed. “I know I already said it, but we are gonna be okay, right?” It was stupid. He was supposed to be the strong one, and here he was asking for reassurance. His voice was already strained, too. “I’m sorry, I just…”

Airi handed her small bag to Tetsuya, both of her hands finding one of her brother’s. “Yeah,” she whispered, sounding a bit weak, too. “Somehow, we’re gonna be okay. No matter what happens.” Youta nodded. They just had to stick together. That was all they really could do.

“I don’t want to interrupt, but we should follow Akashi-kun,” Tetsuya suggested. “He’s not likely to hesitate, and I think it would be best for everyone if we were all present, your parents included.”

Youta grimaced. He didn’t enjoy the idea of Akashi and Eiko having a stand-off and breaking down negotiations. With that thought as motivation, Youta ran ahead into the house, and Airi and Tetsuya’s footsteps followed. They came to a stop at the living room, where Akashi and Eiko were standing amidst stacks of boxes from the move.

“And there they are,” Akashi said, not even looking back to visually acknowledge the cluster forming in the hallway. Eiko’s expression twisted through several emotions, but Youta was too nervous to read them properly. “As I was saying, I am Akashi Seijuro, a friend of Tetsuya’s. While I’m sure there are several things you would like to discuss with your children at this point, I’m requesting that you listen to me first.”

It didn’t sound like a request, though. Youta had heard the tone of voice from leaders enough times to know what it was. No matter how much Akashi could disguise his intentions behind exact wording, it didn’t make what he was saying any less an order.

Youta realized just how stupid this was. Coming home unannounced, not giving any explanation, running away in the first place, then having a stranger barge in to negotiate. Why hadn’t they talked things through properly? Tetsuya and Akashi had had a short talk, though that really meant jack for the rest of them. Even if it was a surprise attack, there was no way Eiko was going to go along with this.

Then he got a better look at his mother. She was tired, bags under her eyes darker than usual, especially without the use of make-up. Youta and Airi had caused a lot of trouble by avoiding the house, and their parents had probably panicked as a result. It made Youta wonder if Eiko had the day off or if she was staying home regardless.

His mother took a short glance in Airi and Youta’s direction, let out a sigh, then turned her gaze back to Akashi. “I’m listening,” she allowed.

Youta could have sworn his heart really did stop in that moment. Airi gasped softly, trying to cover up the sound with her hands.

“I understand that I may sound like I’m intruding where I don’t belong, but as far as I’m concerned, since this involves Tetsuya, I’m involved as an extension. I also understand that there are other factors at play in your decision, but money is one of them?”

Eiko stared for a moment before nodding. “Your point being?” she prompted. There wasn’t a hint of agitation in her voice, but Youta knew there was a time limit to his mother’s patience. As to confirm his thought, the woman raised one of her eyebrows. “I understand that you kids are all just trying to help, but there’s not much that could help right now short of a miracle.”

Despite the stern tone in Eiko’s voice, Akashi didn’t seem deterred. “While your skepticism may be warranted, there’s no need to hold onto it anymore.” The Rakuzan captain took in a short breath, and it made Youta realize he had been holding his own air supply in suspension. “I’m certain someone in your line of work has heard of the Akashi name before. As it is, I don’t exactly exert direct control over any of the assets in my father’s business, though I would say I have enough influence to offer you a better job than you have now.”

Okay, Youta felt even more lost now, which was saying something since this was the first time Akashi was giving out information for him to use. Youta had never known much intricate detail about his mother’s job—she was a businesswoman that mostly dealt with architecture layouts and building contracts, and worked in an ordinary office. What Akashi had to do with any of that completely bypassed the older Watanabe twin’s sense of comprehension.

Youta tried to think about it, though—_maybe Oka-san said something once?_—but came up blank. Then again, he had always associated the name _Akashi_ with basketball, so attempting to cross-reference wasn’t going to get anywhere. Still, the part that Youta did get was that the Rakuzan captain had just offered his mother a job. No, _a teenager_ had just offered his mother a new job.

Really, it just sounded like some joke.

Eiko seemed to share the same sentiment, a crease starting to appear between her eyebrows. However, there was a familiar light of recognition in her eyes, signaling that the Akashi name _did_ mean something to her. The Watanabe matriarch’s frown didn’t fade. “Forgive me if I think this is too good to be true.”

And really, it was. More and more this seemed like the miracle solution Eiko had mentioned, like it was big and flashy and unbelievable. It gave off the impression that Akashi may have been trying to show off his status. Youta started to wonder when he would wake up, because this had to be a dream.

“I figured you may say as much,” Akashi responded. He reached into one of his pockets, extracting an envelope, which was shortly handed over to Eiko. “You are overqualified for your current position, Watanabe-san. This offer is much more suited to your talents and easily will amount to two—ah, no, three times your current salary.”

_Three times._ Youta didn’t know his mother’s exact income, but that had to be enough. No, it was probably more than enough.

Inside the envelope was a sheaf of papers. There was silence as Eiko read them. Youta wanted to glance over to Airi to see how she was doing, but found that he couldn’t. He was too tense to even reach his hand out for hers. Once Eiko had finished looking the papers over, she took a deep breath, hands shaking as she put the envelope and its contents to the side.

“I… I need to call my husband,” she said, voice weak. No, it was quiet but not weak. Eiko’s fingers brushed over the ring she wore on a necklace, both presents from Noboru when they’d gotten married. It was her only nervous tick Youta could remember. Dismissing herself, Eiko headed down the hall towards the bedrooms, giving her children a short glance in the process.

Akashi finally turned around, facing the trio waiting for him. His expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. “I’ll stay around in case she has any further questions,” he said. Much like his attitude, the redhead’s voice indicated that the scenario was no big deal to him, despite what it meant to Tetsuya and the twins. “Though since she’ll more than likely be accepting this offer, I do have a few phone calls to make. If you’ll excuse me.”

Akashi reached for his cell phone, passing the trio as he went towards the front door. “Akashi-kun,” Tetsuya said, breaking his silence and bringing his former teammate to a stop, “thank you very much for your help.”

“Y-yes, thank you!” Airi stuttered. There was a sharp pitch to her voice, and Youta realized that he and his sister were on the verge of crying. “Thank you so much…” She took a deep breath, burying her face into her hands afterwards, not quite able to cover up her tears.

Youta took a deep breath of his own, hoping to iron away the traces of tears in his voice, then dropped down into a perfect ninety-degree bow. “Thank you very much,” he said. He probably should have added Akashi’s name to the expression of gratitude, but Youta wasn’t sure of the proper way to address him—_-san? –kun? Nothing at all?_—so it was probably better to avoid getting it wrong and it just leave it out.

“As I said, Tetsuya is my friend. This is something mostly for his benefit,” Akashi said. His gaze met up with the boy in question. “Do not forget what we discussed, Tetsuya. As long as you remember what you said, then I have no need to worry about my assistance in this situation.”

“I won’t forget,” promised Tetsuya. Youta was too worn out to be curious about what they were referring to.

Akashi nodded once, resuming his walk to the front door. This time, neither Tetsuya nor the twins stopped them. Youta wasn’t sure if he could process what had just happened, and he was sure it was the same for Airi and her boyfriend. Eiko hadn’t said no, which was a good chance that she would consider the situation thoroughly and even accept Akashi’s terms.

They had done it. It wasn’t set in stone, but it really felt like they had done it.

There were tears of relief running down his cheeks before he knew it, and Airi took hold of his hand on one side, taking Tetsuya’s in the other. She was still crying, too, but there were the faintest traces of a smile on her lips. _Happy tears._ Youta supposed that as long as Airi was smiling, her tears weren’t so bad.

Tetsuya was the only one not crying, but it was obvious he was relieved. His shoulders were slumped far more than usual, and the tension that he must have been carrying was now only clear in hindsight. He was starting to smile, and while it wasn’t as bright as Chinatsu’s, it was definitely the biggest grin Youta had ever seen on Tetsuya’s face. In some ways, it suited him.

Airi’s sobs were starting to lessen in frequency, and they didn’t show through in her voice when she said, “I guess… it really was a Miracle that saved us....”

It didn’t even count as a proper pun, but Airi giggled at her own words. Youta made a mental note not to let her have too long of a conversation with Izuki Shun, but snorted anyway. Tetsuya shook a bit in silent laughter, and that served as the catalyst until they were all laughing, a mix of pitches and tones. Youta threw his free arm around Tetsuya, pulling the blue-haired boy closer until all three of them were pressed together in one messy group hug, unable to breathe from a combination of bad senses of humor and relief.

And even if it felt impossible, Youta was okay with calling what had happened today a miracle.


	22. Epilogue: Tadaima

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Epilogue: _Tadaima_

* * *

Akashi Seijuro disappeared from Airi’s life as suddenly as his arrival had been—and with even less words spoken. A part of Airi was disappointed; she had been looking forward to getting to know Tetsuya’s middle school friend more, but it seemed that now wasn’t the time for such things. Still, it was sad that Akashi had spoken more words to her mother than the girl herself.

“Don’t worry,” Tetsuya said, his thumb tracing circles on the back of Airi’s hand, “we’ll see him and Kaizuto-san again. It’ll just take a little bit of time.”

Airi could accept that. However, it would have been nice to have a distraction from what all was going on. Eiko spent the remainder of the day either on the phone or in the company of Noboru once he got home, and Airi decided it would be best to not get involved in the conversation unless asked. Youta had started with different intentions, but had ended up almost falling asleep as he stood at the corner of the hallway, trying to listen in. He gave up and went to bed after that.

Airi, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep so easily. She was tired, yes, but a combination of nerves and excitement kept her up. Tetsuya stayed with her, just lying down on Airi’s bed, holding hands. They didn’t say much, but it was fine just the way it was. As long as they were together, Airi felt like she didn’t have to worry.

_Did that really happen, though? Oka-san and Oto-san haven’t come in to say anything, so I don’t think we’re going to have to pack up anytime soon. I just don’t know. It’s hard to think straight with all that happened. I really do think we’ll be okay, though._

Airi squeezed Tetsuya’s hand. He squeezed back. Airi measured out her breaths, keeping them even, and tried to imagine what her ceiling looked like.

* * *

“You’re both grounded,” Eiko announced at the breakfast table the next morning. The words made Airi jump, but she didn’t feel too bad about it. Youta had whispered to her that some of the boxes in the kitchen were open and half empty, a sign that they were unpacked. It was looking more and more like the Watanabe family would be staying in one place. “I understand what you were trying to accomplish, but that doesn’t make running away any more acceptable. As such, you two are only to leave the house for school for the next two weeks, and I want you home straight afterwards.”

Sitting right beside her, Youta flinched. Airi stopped trying to pick up a piece of her breakfast and turned towards their mother. “Nii-san joined the basketball club again,” she announced.

There was silence at the table, and even Noboru had stopped halfway through standing up in his chair. Youta made a small sound in the back of his throat; he was probably blushing. Eiko’s next words didn’t come out, and her mouth made an audible sound as it closed.

“It’s almost the time in the year for the Inter High, isn’t it?” Noboru said. Airi and Youta nodded within seconds of each other. Their father laughed a bit, and Airi sensed his smile, remembering how his eyes would crinkle with the action. “Well, I think that club responsibilities count as part of school, don’t you, Ei-chan?”

Eiko sighed, and Airi tensed up a bit. After all this, she wanted Youta to be able to play basketball again. “I suppose so,” the Watanabe matriarch allowed. “We need to know your practice and game schedules beforehand, though, as soon as possible. Do you have practice after school today, Youta?”

“Tomorrow,” Youta answered. “And Thursday and Saturday this week, too. Starting next week, Coach wants us to have practice every day to prepare for our next game.”

Noboru finally stood up, walking to the counter, scraping a fork against a bowl as he added more food the table. “So, are you going to be playing, then?” he asked. “You were always pretty good back in middle school.”

If Airi had to guess, Youta’s cheeks were probably even redder than before. “Not yet. I’m still pretty rusty, though I think I’ve been getting better. If I keep trying, I’m sure I’ll be able to play soon, though.” He smiled, and it was the brightest one Airi had sensed from him in months. “Seirin took the Winter Cup last year, so I want to be good enough to help them out.”

Airi picked up her chopsticks again, soothed by the easy atmosphere of the conversation. She managed to secure a piece of fish, and chewed it slowly before swallowing. “So then are we staying?” she asked.

There was another silence at the table. Airi felt bad for breaking the mood, but she realized she had to know. Even if her parents weren’t absolutely certain, she wanted to be on the same page as them. Now, if not beforehand, was finally the time to communicate.

“It’s not as set in stone as you would like,” Eiko said slowly. From the sound of her mother’s voice, Airi could tell she was looking down. “This job offer is good—incredible, really—but we still need a bit more time before we make a final decision.” Taking an extra breath, Eiko turned her head back up. “At the very least, we’re going to try. We just need to be careful.”

“Look after your sister,” Noboru said, an uncommon seriousness in his tone. “And, Ai-chan, make sure you look after your brother.” His voice lightened up. “If this is going to work, we all need to work together, okay?”

Airi nodded. “I understand,” she said. She wasn’t scared. This would be easy.

“We’ll be fine,” Youta said. His eyes darted towards his sister, and they shared smiles. “We don’t have to take care of each other alone anymore.”

* * *

“Man, that’s crazy,” Miura said before taking a large, audible sip from his juice box. “Though, I guess it doesn’t matter how crazy it was as long as it worked out. Besides, in the end, things will settle down and we’ll go back to the usual, right?”

Airi couldn’t help but feel like Miura was right. Still, she giggled. “Nii-san and I really haven’t had a ‘usual’ since we’ve gotten here, Miura-senpai,” she said. The third-year boy shrugged. “Still, I think it’ll be nice. I look forward to finding out what my normal life here is like.”

“Ah, damn,” Youta muttered, sitting up from digging through his bag. “Sorry, Ai-chan, I forgot the drinks Oyaji got for us at home. I’m gonna go grab some real quick, okay? Is juice alright?”

Airi nodded her approval. Youta knew all her favorite flavors from years of being in charge of vending machines, anyway, so she trusted his judgment.

“I’ll come, too, Watanabe-kun,” Tetsuya said just as suddenly. He had been quiet for the most part of the meal, slowly working away on a small bento Chinatsu had prepared for him. The rattle of plastic as he put it together showed that he was finished. “I think I want to have something more to eat. Maybe dessert…”

“You better not let Coach hear you say that,” Youta commented, but he didn’t reject the other boy’s company. They walked off together, leaving Airi alone with Miura.

Airi had accepted the third-year boy’s presence in her life back at the hospital, but that didn’t mean she was one-hundred percent certain about him. Back then, she had sensed that he was being honest, and so had forgiven him. Despite what she wanted, though, being alone with him still brought up unpleasant memories.

“Miura-senpai,” Airi said, trying to keep her voice even, “what happened between you and Sakamoto-san?” Miura paused, probably staring at her. She tried to imagine how she would feel in his situation—shocked, probably. “I mean, it’s just, you started spending all this time with us, so…”

“Sakamoto, huh?” Miura said, a musing quality to his words. “You sure do have interesting tastes in conversations, Wata-chan.” Airi considered retracting the question, but Miura continued before she could. “You see, it works a little bit like this. Sakamoto and I were part of the same group of friends in our first year. Over time, she really started getting bitchier, so everyone else got out, and I didn’t.

“Regardless of the reasons, after our little…encounter with you, she ditched me.” Miura leaned back in his chair, his voice directed at the ceiling. “I dunno why, maybe because I tried talking to Youta-kun. In the end, though, I don’t care. Sakamoto isn’t someone I want to associate with anymore, so I kind of stopped caring.” He shifted, head tilting to the side. “I guess that makes me a bad person, huh?”

“N-no, not at all,” Airi stammered. She wasn’t sure what else to say. “I…I really am glad that you chose to be our friend, Miura-senpai.” That much was the truth.

Miura’s face brightened into a smile. Airi was getting better at reading his expressions, and she offered a small smile back. “Well, I’m glad you think that.” The third-year chuckled a bit, an almost self-depreciating sound. “Though it looks like there are some people that don’t quite share your sentiments, Wata-chan.”

Airi had been focused so much on Miura that she hadn’t noticed the person approaching behind her. Widening her perception, though, she was able to read their body language easily. “Ah, good afternoon, Kagami-san.”

The redheaded basketball player gave a small grunt in response. While Youta had started to warm up to Miura’s presence, the same couldn’t be said for everyone. Airi frowned a little bit. It was reasonable for Kagami to not trust Miura yet, but she still wished…

“I think I’ll head back to my own classroom now,” Miura said, almost off-handedly. There was the crinkle of plastic wrappers as he gathered up his trash. “Thanks for letting me have lunch with you, Wata-chan. Send my regards to the others.”

Miura returned his borrowed chair to its respective desk before leaving. Airi felt a bit sad, but she couldn’t deny the relief that she also experienced. With that, she kept her mouth shut. There was no sense in lecturing Kagami when her own feelings weren’t set in stone yet.

“Listen, Watanabe, that guy—” Kagami started.

“I don’t think now’s the time to worry about such things,” Airi interrupted, making sure she was able to smile before turning to face her new conversation partner. “I’ve had a tiring past couple of weeks, Kagami-san. If you don’t mind, can we talk about happier topics?”

Kagami’s entire disposition shifted, his tension now coming from nervousness. “Yeah, sure.” It was clear that he didn’t have plans to say anything else. As such, Airi was now responsible for the conversation.

“Tetsuya-kun probably already told you, but my family’s going to be staying here,” she said. Kagami gave a sound of confirmation as he nodded. “So, I was wondering if maybe you could teach me to cook a bit more? I have my family to help for now, but I want to be able to do more things on my own. You did such a good job last time, so I was hoping that you’d be willing to help out again?”

To be honest, Airi really hadn’t been considering it, so she wouldn’t have been too hurt if Kagami shot down the offer. But the more she said it, the nicer it sounded. Things were going to be busy lately, so if she could help her family out in the kitchen, it would make things a little bit easier.

And, eventually, she and Tetsuya might have the chance to move in together so…

“Yeah, I can do that,” Kagami agreed, traces of nervousness still in his words. It was enough for Airi to lose focus on her halfway pulled together daydream. “We’re gonna be busy with Inter High, but I’ll let you know when I have free time to spare, alright?”

Airi’s smile widened. “That sounds perfectly fine. Thank you, Kagami-san.”

* * *

“Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun,” said the by now familiar voice of Onishi. The twins and Tetsuya stopped in one of classroom’s doorways on their way out. “Sorry to interrupt you on the way out, but you both have had several absences from school. I was wondering if you two would be willing to do some extra cleaning duty shifts this next month, just so everyone has an equal share of work.” The class representative paused, observing Airi. “Although, I suppose you don’t have to do as much if you don’t feel up to it Watanabe-san.”

“I’m perfectly willing to do my share, Onishi-san,” Airi responded. “Like I said when I first arrived here, there’s no need to treat me any differently. As long as I’m paired up with Nii-san or Tetsuya-kun, any margin of error that my lack of eyesight may cause should be easily eliminated.”

The words came out a bit harsher than Airi had intended, but she didn’t go to apologize. If there was anything this whole mess had taught her was the importance of being able to put her foot down.

“I was referring more to your recent stay in the hospital than your eyes,” Onishi responded. She didn’t sound hurt by Airi’s accusation at all, which made the latter girl’s guilt fade out.

Without meaning to, Airi’s hand reached up to her face, fingertips brushing against scar tissue. She had almost forgotten they were there, but didn’t want to ask what they looked like, not with Onishi standing there. Airi forced her hand down and gripped onto the fabric of her skirt to keep it in place.

“I’ll be fine,” Airi said. Her voice thankfully didn’t have any shakes. “Thank you for your concern, Onishi-san, but I feel in tip-top shape, so don’t hesitate to schedule me.”

“Alright.” Onishi’s focus shifted. “And you, Watanabe-kun?” she asked, sounding almost bored.

Youta tossed a glance to Tetsuya. “Well, as long as Coach won’t chew me out for being late for practice, just keep me paired up with Ai-chan, I guess,” he said. Tetsuya didn’t offer any objections, so Airi supposed that the school mandated duty was something that Aida could understand.

“Aha, you two are still here!” the voice of the Seirin coach echoed down the hall. Aida’s footsteps echoed as she ran, and Onishi averted her gaze by returning to the classroom. “Kuroko-kun gave everyone the good news last night. On the behalf of the basketball club, congratulations!”

Airi didn’t think that _congratulations_ was the right word for the situation, but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. “Thank you, Aida-senpai,” she said. Aida gave a happy chuckle in response, which was cut off by the sound of vibrating.

Airi easily identified the sound as coming from Tetsuya’s pocket, giving a curious look to her boyfriend. “It’s Kise-kun,” he supplied once the phone was in his hand. “Excuse me, I’ll be taking this,” Tetsuya apologized before stepping down the hall.

“So as I was saying,” Aida continued, “we’re all glad that everything worked out. Sorry we couldn’t do much to help out, though…”

Airi was about to object, but Youta beat her to it. “Don’t think like that, Coach,” he said, a surprising amount of earnestness in his voice. “Really, Ai-chan and I were just glad to that we had people watching out for us.” He looked to Airi for confirmation, and she nodded to emphasize the point. It had been a long time since they had been able to rely on people outside the family. “Just having you all around really helped, so don’t sell yourselves short.”

“Well, you two definitely made up your minds,” Aida commented. She smiled, but Airi sensed some other sort of motivation out of it. “I just hope you can bring all that enthusiasm onto the court, Watanabe-kun. I started working on improvements to your training regimen the other day, so you better be ready!”

At the words ‘training regimen,’ Youta stiffened up. Airi got the impression that maybe it was a good thing she had never decided to be an athlete.

“Oh, that’s right!” Youta exclaimed, a nervous laugh punctuating his sentence. “Ai-chan and I kinda got ourselves grounded, so unless it’s for school or club, we’re supposed to be home. Do you think you could gimme a hard copy of our schedule so my parents know what we’re up to?”

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone’s parents were happy after the stunt we pulled the other day.” Aida scratched the back of her head and sighed. Airi got the impression that the Seirin coach had never met Tetsuya’s mother. “Still, that’s reasonable enough. I’ll give you something to take home tomorrow at practice, okay?”

“Thanks, Coach.”

The conversation served as a reminder of how long they had been standing around for. Airi cleared her throat. “We should probably get going, Nii-san,” she suggested. “I think that Oto-san’s going to be home this afternoon, so we don’t want to take too much time…”

“Then I guess that we should walk and talk, then,” Tetsuya said, returning to the group. Youta bristled at the sudden appearance, but didn’t cry out. He was improving at least. “Can you do both at once, Airi-san? Kise-kun wants to talk to you.”

* * *

_“Yeah, that’s Akashicchi for you,”_ Kise said on the other end of the phone. Tetsuya had offered to hold Airi’s hand and guide her so she could focus on the conversation with his friend. Even though Tetsuya had already shared the story with him, Kise insisted on having Airi recount it as well. _“Still, I guess it doesn’t matter much how things worked out, so long as you and Kurokocchi can stay together, huh?”_

Airi blushed at the words, grateful that Kise couldn’t see over the phone. Really, it wasn’t as if this whole thing had been for the sake of her relationship. There were other factors, too! Of course, Airi knew that since she was getting so worked up about it meant that she was genuinely happy that she _could_ stay with Tetsuya…

“Kise-san, that’s not what I was focusing on,” Airi said in an attempt to diffuse the blonde’s theory. She was trying, but she just wasn’t able to keep up with him yet.

_“Oh? Come on, Airicchi, I know you and Kurokocchi really like each other. There’s no need to hide it!”_

“Well, that’s…” she stammered. “Well what about you and Mayurama-san?” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. It was a pathetic retort, but Kise seemed to take the bait anyway.

_“Eh, Natsumicchi?”_ Airi had to repress a snicker. They were on a first name basis, huh? _“Well, I mean, we’ve been doing pretty good for how busy we both are… Oh, I know! Airicchi, we should all go on a double date sometime! It’ll be lots of fun, you know. Kurokocchi and I can talk about it and make a plan, okay?”_

_A double date?_ Airi had hardly adjusted to the fact that she could actually go on dates now, and she didn’t know if she was ready to widen the experience yet or not. Still, she trusted Kise, and Mayurama had seemed nice enough in the short exchanges they had had. It sounded fun. “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you and Tetsuya-kun, Kise-san,” she agreed.

Besides, the only thing she needed to do to get used to the dating atmosphere was to go on more dates. She could handle that much.

_“Alright! I’ll definitely have to free up some time in my schedule for this.”_ Already, Kise sounded like he was ready to go, combined with all the enthusiasm of a small child. Airi made a mental note to get plenty of sleep the night before the date actually happened. Running around with Kise seemed exhausting.

Tetsuya squeezed Airi’s hand, and the girl realized they had come to a stop, and the atmosphere of the place was as familiar. “Ah, I’m sorry, Kise-san. We just got to Tetsuya’s house and I need to give him his phone back. Would you mind if we talked some other time?”

Kise let out a playful whine, and Airi could easily guess he was pouting. _“Okay, Airicchi. Have a good day. Oh, and tell Watanabecchi that I hope to play basketball against him sometime soon, alright?”_

“Will do, Kise-san.”

* * *

Tetsuya secured his phone in his pocket before opening the door to his house. With the action, the sound of barking became much clearer, and Nigou bolted out the doorway, nearly colliding with Airi’s legs. She managed to keep her balance and leaned down to pet the dog’s head, enjoying the feel of his soft fur.

“Oh, it’s all three of you,” Chinatsu commented. “No wonder Nigou was making such a racket. Welcome home, Tetsuya.” The woman leaned in to kiss her son on the top of the head. Tetsuya blushed, and Airi managed to suppress her giggle. Youta’s snicker, on the other hand, was fully audible. “And how are you two feeling today?”

Surprisingly, Chinatsu was the first one to ask that. Everyone else had just been glad to hear the good news. Then again, Chinatsu had seen Airi and Youta when they were desperate, on their last legs and too worn out to act like they were fine. That knowledge made being honest easier.

“Tired,” Airi said, “but also a lot better.” Nigou pushed his head against her hand, so she went back to petting him on autopilot. “I guess since I don’t have to worry so much anymore and can relax, all the exhaustion just hit me at once.”

“Same,” Youta agreed. He started to toy with the zipper on his uniform, the small metal making an equally small jingle. “It’s weird, though. As crappy as that sounds, it actually feels good. Being able to feel worn out.”

They were on the exact same wavelength. Airi hadn’t noticed before, but it was actually the first time that they had been in a long time. At some point, their desires had pulled away from each other’s. Now that they were almost synchronized again, the apprehension Airi had been holding onto had disappeared.

Chinatsu nodded at the words, full of understanding. “While I wish kids your age didn’t have to worry about such things, I’m glad that you can accept it,” she said. “Learning to deal with the aftermath of a crisis is almost as important as dealing with the actual problem itself.” The woman took a deep breath and Airi did the same. The smell of the nearby flower garden was sweet. “Of course, I don’t want you two ending up with a problem again, but remember that you can always come here, okay?”

Airi almost protested about not wanting to be a burden, but she stopped herself. Chinatsu hadn’t considered the twins a burden when they had been here before, and neither had Tetsuya. The same held true for the Seirin Basketball Club and Miura and Kise. All of the people that had entered Airi’s life since she had moved genuinely _cared_.

“Thank you,” Airi said, for herself and Youta. She wondered if she could keep saying the words as many times as she felt like she needed to and still sound genuine. She didn’t want the words to lose their meaning.

Another phone vibrated, this time Youta’s. The signal was shorter, making it an email as opposed to a call. Air could sense her brother grimacing as he read over the message. “Ah, we should get going. Oyaji’s wondering what’s taking us so long,” he reported.

Airi nodded. “Alright.” She secured Nigou’s head between her fingers, making sure not to grip to hard as she planted a kiss on the dog’s forehead. “Pass that on to Tetsuya-kun for me, will you?” she whispered.

Nigou barked as Airi stood up. The girl kept her attention on Tetsuya for a few more seconds, wishing she didn’t have to leave so quickly. The boy only smiled, though, the image as clear as day to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

The words were simple, but they made a warmth bloom in Airi’s chest. It was more than just the fact that she and Tetsuya were able to see each other the next day. It was that she now had someone new to say those words to her, someone she wanted to be able to see day after day after day.

Someone that _she_ could tell those words to.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Airi said, and the words were filled with more emotion than she had ever managed to speak in her whole life.

* * *

They ran home. Youta was a bit faster than Airi, but he always kept track of her, made sure she was fine. It was almost like walking home, except Airi had to make her memorized patterns of the streets go faster. She didn’t really do things like run much, either, but she found it easy enough once she got into the rhythm, almost being able to do it without thinking or feeling her muscles complain.

She didn’t mean to, but she ended up thinking. What if Seirin had managed to win the Miyashita Charity Tournament, what if she had accepted the money Youta had got on loan? There were other consequences beyond those actions, but Airi was only thinking about the one where she had her eyes again, where she could see the world. She’d be able to see the streets she was running past now, she’d be able to see her brother again…

…she would have been able to see the blurry image of Tetsuya properly, to know exactly how he looked at her.

Airi normally would have reprimanded herself for having such thoughts. She always reprimanded Youta. But for the moment, she allowed it, allowed herself to drag up memories of when her eyes worked and pretend like that was still the case now, that she could open her eyes and _see_.

She didn’t do it, though. She could have opened her eyes and been treated to a blurry vision of the world, but she didn’t. She didn’t need to. She had practiced for years, and she could already see the streets, see Youta running ahead of her, see their house coming into view, all behind closed eyelids.

She could see her friends, could learn so much from them, because when she was around all the people that entered her life she could see more than she ever had back in Sendai, because they were all showing her and Youta a bigger world than they had ever imagined being a part of.

The twins slowed down as they jogged down the path to their door, both stopping at the welcome mat. Both of them were trying to catch their breath, though Airi was breathing far harder than her brother needed to. Still, she felt good, the same as before—_exhausted but happy._

“Nii-san,” she gasped out between breaths. There was no need for apologies or reconciling between them. Not when they already knew. “We’re here. So can we, can we say it together?”

Even asking that was silly. Youta chuckled. He already knew. Of course he knew. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

They took a moment to catch the last of their breath. Airi still felt a bit light headed, but she didn’t care. She turned to Youta. He nodded, and she nodded back. Youta reached for the doorknob, they took a deep breath together, and he turned it, opening up the way to the house.

“_We’re home!_” they called in unison.

And with a laugh and a smile in his voice, their father called, “Welcome back!”

_This _is_ our home, _Airi thought.

And she could see it, too.

* * *

**End**


	23. Omake: Bluntness

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Omake: Bluntness

* * *

Airi clung tightly onto Tetsuya’s hand, probably more than was necessary. The station was full of sounds: people talking, an occasional voice calling out schedule changes over the speaker system, trains pulling in and out of the rails in massive roars. Airi hadn’t ridden a train since she had moved to Tokyo a few months ago, and it had been the first one in a while. Even though they were just waiting for Akashi and Kaizuto to arrive, a bubble of nervousness still piled up in Airi’s stomach, feeling as if it were about to pop.

“Airi-san, are you alright?” Tetsuya asked. Even though his voice was quiet, Airi could still hear it over everything else, and it helped ease away some of the pressure. “We can go wait farther outside if you like.”

Airi shook her head, turning in Tetsuya’s direction. The grip of his own fingers showed his concern, and she reached her own hand up to stroke her thumb across his cheek. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Crowds really don’t bother me. I’m just a bit nervous about this whole meet-up.”

“Akashi-kun likes you,” Tetsuya said, though that really wasn’t the problem. “And he said Kaizuto-san was looking forward to coming, if not a bit nervous about it.”

“I’m sure that Kaizuto-san is happy to go with Akashi-san, wherever that is.” Though the two girls had only been around each other for a small amount of time, Airi felt certain of that much. Even if things were probably a bit more complicated than that. “I guess maybe this is a bit unfair to say, but this whole thing almost feels like that double date we went on with Kise-san and Mayurama-san, you know?”

Tetsuya chuckled, and Airi moved a bit closer to the sound. “Putting the idea of a date aside, this should definitely be a lot less hectic than hanging out with Kise-kun.”

“I would certainly hope so,” Akashi’s voice cut through the din, and Airi stopped herself from jumping. She could normally tell where Akashi was easily; his presence was just so intense. Today, though, it was a bit dulled, but still Akashi, if only confirmed by the weaker but no less distinct presence of Kaizuto behind him. “Kise has a habit of making things more complicated than they need be. It’s nice to see you again, Kuroko, Watanabe.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Kaizuto added, performing a small bow in addition to her words. There was a small edge to her voice, but Airi couldn’t tell what it was over. Tetsuya had mentioned that the other girl tended to be nervous as a default, but Kaizuto’s tone was a bit different than that. “Maybe we should go somewhere less crowded?”

Airi nodded. “There’s a café nearby that’s usually pretty empty,” she provided. Kaizuto’s small sigh barely made it past the rest of the noise. Airi smiled. “Being in clustered places like this makes it hard for me to see. Shall we go?”

“Of course,” Akashi said, and Tetsuya squeezed onto Airi’s fingers in reassurance. “If you would lead the way, Watanabe.”

_Watanabe?_

“This way, Airi-san,” Tetsuya reminded, nudging her in the correct direction. Airi realized that he had lost track of the walls in her distraction and adjusted her mental map. Airi did fairly well in crowds on her own, but Tetsuya’s presence made things all the easier. Once they were out of the bustle of the station, Airi took point, focusing more on her route than participating in the small conversation the others were having. “You’re probably hard at work on training for the Inter-High, huh?”

“Naturally,” Akashi said, and now that they were in the open air, Airi was sure of it. Something was off about his voice—a little less on edge maybe. No, that wasn’t quite right either. “Not that you didn’t earn your victory, but we won’t lose again, Kuroko.”

Kaizuto nodded in a small, subtle movement. “Everyone’s been working hard,” she said, with less force but no less determination. “Reo-senpai says he’s looking forward to it.”

Tetsuya chuckled. Airi listened in for the crossing signal and for any cars coming down the street. Tetsuya started forward first, giving the go-ahead. “Come to think of it, your previous manager was a third-year, right? That means you’re the lead manager now, right, Kaizuto-san.”

“That’s right…” Airi couldn’t say for certain, but her guess was that Kaizuto was blushing. “Though I still have a lot to learn. A lot of our regulars are the same this year, but there’s a lot more work being the main one in charge than just the assistant.”

Airi and Tetsuya both went to say something at once, the sounds of their breaths mingling together, but Akashi got there first. “Don’t second guess yourself,” he said. “You’ve more than proven that you deserve your position. I’ll be counting on you for the next two years.”

“Y-yes.”

“We’re here,” Airi announced, smiling to herself. Tetsuya opened the door, letting a rush of air conditioning into the street. “We have to order inside, but it’s actually not too hot out. Are you all alright with sitting at a patio table?”

A series of affirmatives later, the group had clustered around the counter. There was a certain bustle that meant it was busier than usual, but the atmosphere was generally relaxed. Even if there were several people, it wouldn’t be too distracting. Trusting Tetsuya and Kaizuto to retrieve the food and drinks, Airi navigated out to the back patio, leading Akashi into a wash of warm sunshine.

* * *

“I wanted to thank you,” Tetsuya said after the door closed behind Airi and Akashi. Kaizuto turned towards him, her hands pressed against the counter.

“I should be the one thanking you,” she said, staring blankly behind the counter. “You never gave up in him. That’s a lot more than I did.”

Her tone was bitter, but Tetsuya wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Kaizuto was less open than Airi, not as trusting. He didn’t think Kaizuto was angry at him, though. Maybe at herself for what she had done. “I can’t say that I never gave up…” he admitted, voice quieter than usual.

Kaizuto’s head whipped around, sending her ponytail bouncing through the air. Eyes wide and lips parted, she stared at him, almost unsure what to think. The words might not have been the best idea, but they couldn’t be taken back now. Even if he brushed it off, Kaizuto was sure to remember. Tetsuya cleared his throat: “Besides, you already thanked me before.”

“And you already thanked me,” Kaizuto returned evenly. “That didn’t stop you from trying.”

Their server returned to the counter, beginning to place out their orders. Kaizuto went to retrieve some napkins and utensils, picking at a straw wrapper at her return. Tetsuya hoped that Airi was faring better with Akashi.

“I’m trying,” Kaizuto finally said. “I don’t think I’m doing the right thing. But you know about both of them, don’t you?” Tetsuya could only nod. “To you, seeing him change in that game was like resetting things back the way that they should be.” It was like an erasure of everything that twisted Akashi at Teiko. Even if Tetsuya had been intimidated as an opponent, he had still been relieved. “To me, I lost everything I understood about him, Kuroko-kun. I’m sure you know how difficult that was.”

Tetsuya did. He had gone through the same thing when Akashi had switched for the first time. He was left with a completely different person, and Tetsuya had been at a loss. Kaizuto must have been experiencing the same thing. “I’m sor…”

“Some things can’t be fixed with an apology,” Kaizuto interrupted. For a moment, she clutched at her shoulder, then went to pick up the tray bearing her and Akashi’s food. Tetsuya had completely missed their order being filled. “I’ll manage, so don’t spend your time worry about it. Just don’t make any sudden changes yourself. You’ll break Watanabe-chan’s heart.”

All Tetsuya could do was follow Kaizuto out to the patio.

* * *

_Ah, maybe this wasn’t the best call…_

Airi liked to think that she could handle most situations; even people like Kagami weren’t incredibly intimidating once she got used to them. But Akashi was on a completely different level, and Airi wasn’t sure what to expect out of him. Especially today, when he felt different than usual.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Akashi asked, causing Airi to bump into a nearby chair. Thankfully it was empty, so there was no need to apologize. She turned to Akashi, sensing a nod. “It’s big enough for all of us. Why don’t you take a seat?”

Airi nodded as well, pulling out a chair. Akashi sat on the other side of the table. Even with the distance between them, Airi couldn’t make herself feel at ease, no matter how much she tried.

“I’m not angry,” Akashi said with no prompting. He could read others probably even better than Airi could. “It’s a normal reaction. I take it Tetsuya didn’t tell you?”

“He said it was something he didn’t want to talk about yet,” Airi answered. Akashi had helped her greatly, and he had helped Tetsuya, too, but there was more to it than that. “He didn’t tell me much, but he sounded a bit sad when he said it. I didn’t pry, but…” Airi squeezed her hands together under the table, wishing could hold onto Tetsuya. “I think you hurt him, Akashi-san. You and the rest of your team.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so accusing, but Airi couldn’t help it. Even with only part of the story, she felt a small anger over the way Tetsuya talked about middle school. Despite her worries, Akashi hardly radiated any sort of annoyance. “I suppose we did,” he admitted, but didn’t say anything else. It was odd to see him at a loss for words.

“Kaizuto-san, too,” Airi blurted the words. “I think she’s hurt, too. Again, I have no room to speak on the matter, but you should really pay more attention to those around you.” She really shouldn’t have been saying things when Akashi had given so much help, but Airi didn’t think she could stay silent on the matter.

“Kaizuto as well,” Akashi said. Airi got the sense that he was smiling, even if it was self-depreciating. “You’re sharp, Watanabe. Will it be enough to say that I’m trying?”

_I don’t know._ Airi adjusted her posture, trying to smooth out her skirt. The door to inside the café chimed open, Tetsuya’s presence in the open air. “As long as you’re doing something,” Airi said softly. “But don’t leave it be for too long.”

Akashi seemed to contemplate the gesture, then his posture shifted as well. “I noticed your brother isn’t here today.” His tone had shifted, probably to give the appearance of friendly conversation. Airi didn’t like hiding things from Tetsuya, but it wouldn’t do good to make a scene when the basketball clubs were trying to have a relaxing moment before the next tournament started. “Is he doing alright?”

“He’s doing some part-time work,” Airi answered. Akashi’s surprise was lost in the clatter of Tetsuya and Kaizuto setting trays on the table. “Even though we’re grateful for your help, he wants to try and do more.” Not that Youta didn’t work hard enough for her sake already, but it was nice to see him do something for himself.

“It’s admirable, isn’t it?” Tetsuya asked, taking a seat beside Airi. She pulled towards his presence. On the other side of the table, Kaizuto sat beside Akashi, but nowhere as close. “I’m glad he’s found something he can work towards.”

Airi looked to Akashi, trying to hide the slight displeasure from her expression. _You should try and do the same, Akashi-san._

* * *

Despite his awkwardness with Kaizuto, Tetsuya felt like the afternoon had gone well enough. Airi seemed to have enjoyed and nearly worn herself out, taking slow steps back home. Tetsuya held onto her hand, making sure to keep her steps on track, even if he was feeling a bit sleepy himself.

“They both felt different,” Airi remarked. Tetsuya glanced to her. “Kaizuto-san seemed to be edgier. And Akashi-san…”

“There are two of him,” Tetsuya supplied, not knowing what other words to use. Airi didn’t comment, frowning in thought. “Did something happen? He’s different this way, but…”

Tetsuya stopped, remembering Kaizuto’s words. Even if Tetsuya found thought of his friend as the original, that didn’t exactly make things better. There easier way was to just say it: things were complicated. And if Tetsuya’s own relationship with his former captain was strained, he didn’t know what to say about Kaizuto and Airi, who had met Akashi as the other.

“I guess I’m just worried,” Airi admitted, facing forward. Over the rooftops, the sun was starting to go down, and Tetsuya tried to come up with the proper words to describe the shade of orange. “I don’t know what to expect for them. And I don’t think they do, either.”

“They’ll be fine,” Tetsuya assured. “Somehow, I think. It won’t be easy for them, but they’ll make it.” Kaizuto had held onto faith in Tetsuya during the Winter Cup finals. The least he could do was have faith in her. “They both have a lot to learn, but I think they’re trying to do it together.”

Airi smiled faintly. “Which is what matters, isn’t it?” She took a deep breath. “I think we have a lot to learn ourselves, but…” She gestured in front of them, bringing Tetsuya’s attention back to the sky. “Is it beautiful out there?”

Tetsuya made a point of looking at Airi, knowing she’d be able to sense it. “Yes, it is.” Her cheeks flushed, and Tetsuya smiled with her. Then he looked back to the sunset and began to describe the colors, making sure not to forget to include the fading shades of red.


End file.
